








L l' ' ' ' 



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Gass 
Book. 



C75IV U. 



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The History 



Bunker Hill Monument Association 



onije JTtrgt Centurp 



THE UMTED STATES OF AMERICA. 



BY 



GEORGE WASHINGTON WARREN, 



LATE PRESIDENT OP THE ASSOCIATION. 




ONUMENTS THEMSELVES MEMORIALS NEED. 



amiti) illustrations. 



BOSTON: 
'AMES E. OSGOOD AND COMPANY, 

Late Ticknor and Fields, and Fields, Osgood, and Company) 

M.DCCC.LXXVII. 

In. U. S. a. CI. 








Copyright secured, January, 1877, in tlie Office of the Librarian 
of Congress, bj' 

G. Washington Warren. 



By tsrausfar 

OtC BO t915 



Cambridge : 
Press of jfo/ni VVi/soji and Sou. 



y 



TO 



aDi)e jHemovp 



DANIEL WEBSTER. EDWARD EVERETT, 

THOMAS HANDASYD PERKINS, 

JOHN COLLINS WARREN, 

AXD 

WILLIAM TUDOR. 



THE PRINCIPAL ORIGINATORS OF THE 

BUNKER HILL MOJS^UMENT, 

OF 

HENRY ALEXANDER SCAMMELL DEARBORN, 

AND 

WILLIAM SULLIV^AN, theik chief co-ad.iutoks; 

OF 

AMOS LAWRENCE and JUDAH TOURO, 

WHO ADDED THEIK NOBLE DOXATIONS TO THE :MEANS KAISI;1> BY 

THE WOMEN OF THE COUNTRY 

FOK ITS COMPLETION IN 1840; 
ALSO, OF 

NATHANIEL POPE RUSSELL, THE FAITHFUL TREASURER, 

AND 

SOLOMON Wn.LARD, THE DEVOTED ARCHITECT, 



STfifs ?^um6Ie IKemorial 



OF THEIK IMPERISHAKLE WORK IS GRATEFULLY DEDICATED BY 



THE AUTHOR. 



1877. 




PREFACE. 



'TpiIE first present the author remembers ever 
■*" to have received was one of those hand- 
somely engraved diplomas of the Bunker Hill Monu- 
ment Association, bearing his name in full, set in a 
gilt frame, and hung in the parlor, — a paternal gift 
to a boy of eleven years. Born at the foot of Bunker 
Hill, and often in childhood having rambled over the 
battle-field while yet a pasture, he naturally felt a 
personal interest m the completion of the undertaking 
of the Association, and, having been early chosen into 
its directory, he was prompted to labor for it. 

He was requested by Mr. Webster to prepare an 
account of the first two great celebrations on Bunker 
Hill, to accompany his orations in a proposed re- 
publication. This he undertook to do* but, when 
afterwards Mr. Everett kindly assumed the editorship 
of all the works of the great Statesman, no other 
hand was required. Subsequently the author has 
been frequently requested to prepare a History of 
the Association, embracing the noteworthy events, 
and giving a summary of the labors, the difl&cul- 
ties, and the triumphs it has experienced. 



VI PREFACE. 

When first elected Secretary, he found scarcely any 
of the original papers on file. By continuous search 
and inquiries, he has been able to collect, during the 
last forty years, from the descendants or family friends 
of the prominent founders, a large mass of scattered 
material. The newspapers of the period have supplied 
many details. Some of the matter quoted is of a 
trivial character, and some of a high order : taken 
together, it may serve as an index of the times of the 
former generations, and may help to give a nearer 
view of the eminent men who figured in them. 

Acknowledgments are due to Mr. Ernest Edwards 
of London, now with J. R. Osgood & Company, the 
inventor of the heliotyping process, who has found 
out the way to multiply copies of the photograph in 
a durable form, — an art superior to the art of 
printing, as it reproduces the exact text and every 
form of facsimile illustration. 

An attempt has been made to prepare a com- 
plete Table of Contents of this Volume, so as to 
supersede the necessity of an Index, by denoting 
the different topics treated on each page in course. 
The reader, in consulting it, may see at a glance 
the order in which the different divisions of the 
work are set out, and may readily find any par- 
ticular to which he may wish to advert. The 
placing of reference notes at the bottom of the 



PREFACE. Vll 

page has been avoided, as it has seemed the better 
way to incorporate into the text what is intended 
to be read in connection, so that the attention 
need not be distracted nor the symmetry of the 
page be marred. Pains have been taken to pre- 
sent to the pnbhc a book, which, at least in its 
typographical appearance and in all those acces- 
sories which attract the eye, shall be worthy of 
those distinguished characters whose extraordinary 
labors in building our noblest IN^ational Monument 
have made an historical record thereof desirable. 

It was at first intended to append a list of the 
principal contributors to the Monument, but it was 
found difficult to fix fairly upon the lowest sum, 
the donors of which should be distinguished by this 
honorable mention. The subscription of the pre- 
scribed fee of membership was as generous and pa- 
triotic an act on the part of some as that of twenty 
times the amount or more by others; besides, it was 
promised in the beginning that the names of all 
those who should give a single dollar would be 
preserved in perpetual remembrance. It may be 
at some future time within the means of the Asso- 
ciation to print a catalogue of all those who have 
contributed directly to its funds, a considerable part 
of which has already been prepared. The names, 
however, of the original associates, and of all those 
who have been made members by election, appear 
in this volume. 



viii PREFACE. 

It is hoped that this vokime may aid in perpetuating 
the memory of the founders of this Society, to whom 
the country's gratitude is due. And if it shall further 
serve to foster and keep ever alive a profound senti- 
ment of nationality, and an abiding love of thk Uisrioisi 
which our Fathers bequeathed to us to transmit to 
posterity, the author will be happy to have done some- 
thing towards accomplishing one of the leading ob- 
jects of the Bunker Hill Monument Association. 



Hotel Vexdome, 

Boston, Dec. 25, 1876. 




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CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

The Battle of Bunker Hill, 1. The Two Great Events connected with 
it, 3. Washington Commander-in-Chief, 5. The Rebuilding of 
Charlestown, 6. The First Celebration of the Anniversary of the 
Battle, 7. King Solomon's Lodge, 9. Address of John Soley, Jr., 10. 
Act of Legislature for the Preservation of the Masonic Monument, 12. 
The Re-interraent of the Body of Joseph AVarren, and the Exordium of 
Perez Morton's Eulogy, 13. Warren's Character, and the Effect of 
his Death, 14. 

CHAPTER 11. 

James Russell, his Ancestry, and his Son, Thomas Russell, 17. The 
Russell Pasture, and the Visitors to the Battle-field, 20. Commissary 
Deveus and Thomas Miller; President Dwight's Narration, 21. The 
Survivors of the Revolution who were the Guides to the Battle-field; 
Isaac Warren, 22. Timothy Thompson and William Calder, 23. 
Matters to be explained, 2L Dr. John Warren's Diary, 25. Pres- 
cott, Putnam, and Stark, 26. Last Words of General Warren ; the 
Englishman's Claim, 28. Why the Battle was fought; Changes, 29. 
The Centennial Year; Philadelphia and Bunker Hill; Boston the 
Cradle of the Nation, 30. 



CHAPTER III. 

Excitement caused by General Henry Dearborn's Account, 31. Daniel 
Webster's Review of it, 32. General Sumner's Account of Governor 
Brooks's Visit to Bunker Hill, 33. Public Attention called to it from 
this Controversy, by William Tudor; Daniel Webster and Edward 
Everett, 36. Thomas Handasyd Perkins, 37. John C. Warren, 38. 



X CONTENTS. 

First Notice of a Meeting to form the Association, 39. The Agree- 
ment to form it, 40. Petition to the Legislature, 42. Act of Incor- 
poration, 44. First Meeting and Officers elected, 45. Additional 
Members elected, 46. Circular of Committee of Correspondence, 47. 

CHAPTER IV. 

Governor Brooks, the First President, 49. Nathaniel P. Russell, the 
Treasurer, 50. William Tudor, the Secretary; and Mr. Webster, act- 
ing President; Letter of Caleb Cushing, 52; of Thomas Rotch, and of 
Daniel Putnam, 53; of Levi Woodbury; Mr. Everett, and Franklin 
Dexter, as Secretaries, 54. Mr. Russell's Acknowledgment of Money 
received from the Washington Benevolent Society, 55. Dr. Warren's 
Letter proposing a Dinner of the Directors, 56. Governor Eustis's 
Reference to the Proposed Monument in his Message, 57. His Death 
and Unexecuted Purpose, 58. Dr. Channing's Letter, 59. Professor 
Silliman's, 60. Judge White's and Samuel L. Knapp's, 61. Willard 
Peck's and William Crafts', 62. John Wilson's, 63. William Plu- 
mer's, 64. Caleb Stark's, 65. Governor Morril's, 66. Governor Wol- 
cott's; T. W. Storrow's, 67. W. C. Somerville's, 68. Governor 
Pleasant's, of Virginia, and Mr. Osgood's, 69. Mr. Gilmer's, of Bal- 
timore, 70. 

CHAPTER V. 

Discouraging Responses counteracted by Encouraging Letter of Frederic 
Tudor, 71. Letter of Judge Daggett, 72. Letter of L. Trescott and of 
Ichabod Bartlett, 73; of Robert G. Shaw, and of James Lloyd, 74; of 
John Lowell, 75; of Dr. Codraan; Com. Bainbridge, 76; of Jon. Good- 
hue, of New York, 77. Old High Rates of Postage ; a Letter of John 
McLean, Postmaster-General, 78. Letter of Ichabod Bartlett, 79. 
Letter of Abbott Lawrence announcing Ariival of Lafayette, SO. 
Standing Committee issue an Address drawn up by General William 
Sullivan, SL The Address, 82. Copies distributed by General Sulli- 
van's Students, 88. General Sullivan transmits to Dr. Warren Letter 
of Rufus Dawes, with his Indorsement, 89. Response of Selectmen of 
Sandisfield and of Dracut, 90; of Manchester, 91. Judge Story's 
Letter to Mr. Everett, 91. The Judge desires to change Mr. Ever- 
ett's Opinion, 92. 

CHAPTER VI. 

Governor Eustis's Wishes; the Desire of the Association for Legislative 
Aid, 93. Act to aid the Bunker Hill INIonument Association, 94. 



CONTENTS. xi 

Reason for the Grant of State-prison Labor, and for the Authority to 
take Land, 97. Letter of Mr. Webster, 98. Purchase of the Land, 99. 
Correspondence of Mr. Everett with King Solomon's Lodge, 100. 
Grantors of the Land, and Prices paid, 101. Subscriptions coming in; 
Certificates of Membership, 102. Letters of Mr. Everett, 103. His 
Newspaper Article on Small Subscriptions, 105. His Circular in the 
name of the Directors, 109. General Dearborn's Public Notice, 116. 
Public Meeting at the Marlborough Hotel, 118. Report of Standing 
Committee drawn up by Mr. Everett, 119. 

CHAPTER VII. 

Daniel Webster elected to deliver the Anniversary Address in 1825, 123. 
Committee of Arrangements, and Letter of George Ticknor, 121. Letter 
from Mr. Webster ; Election of Mr. Everett to Congress; Subscription 
to a Monument in Concord, 125. Letter of Mr. Everett with regard 
to it; and Letter of Mr. Webster as to the Concord Celebration, and 
about the Part it was proposed that Lafayette should take, 126. 
Changes in the Direction after the Death of President Brooks, 128. 
Letter of Daniel Putnam; Vote of the Directors as to the Public Im- 
pression that Lafayette would lay the Corner-stone of the Monu- 
ment, 129. Mr. Everett's Letter in relation to this and other Matters, 
130. Proposed Modes of celebrating the Anniversary ; Report of the 
Committee of Twelve, 131. Report of the Committee on laying the 
Corner-stone, 135. Conference with Mr. Webster as to its being laid 
in Masonic Form, 136. New Executive Committee for the Celebra- 
tion; Cornei'-stone prepared by Captain Paris, who afterwards offici- 
ated as the Masonic Architect, 137. The Proposed and the Actual 
Inscription on the Plate, 138. Articles deposited with it, 139. Mr. 
Everett's Letter before going to West Point; he prefers the Column 
for the Form of the Monument, 110. His Letter to Lafayette, 141. 
Lafayette's Acquiescence as to the Masonic Ceremony; Bunker Hill 
his Polar-Star in all his Travels ; General Sullivan's Invitation to Mili- 
tary Companies for Escort Duty, 142. Prompt Replies of Several Com- 
panies, 143. General Lyman reports the Resolutions of the House of 
Representatives to walk in the Procession, 144. Attendance of the 
Revolutionary Soldiers; a Place for Josiah Bowers, 145. The Attend- 
ance of the same Chaplain and the Drummer who were in the Battle, 
and of Great Numbers from the Different States; Charles River Bridge 
made free for the Day; the Procession, 146. Colonel Samuel Jaques, 
Chief Marshal ; the Masonic Ceremony; Lafayette's Masonic Apron, 



xii CONTENTS. 

147. Prayer by Rev. Mr. Thaxter, 148. Mr. Webster speaks, facing 
the Sun ; his Oration, 149. The Dinner and the Toasts, 151. Lafay- 
ette's Toast; Levees in the Evening; Mr. Webster's Noble Contribu- 
tion of his Address to the Monument Association, 152. 

CHAPTER Vlir. 

John C. WARRF.isr, 153. The Resolutions proposed by him and adopted. 
154 The Board of Artists, 155. Reward offered for Best Plan, 156. 
Letter of Solomon Willard declining to join in the Contest for the 
Premium, 157. Report of the Board awarding the Premium to Hora- 
tio Greenough,i58. Communication from him explaining his Model, 
and his Reasons for adopting the Obelisk, 159. The Report laid upon 
the Table, and never acted upon, 160. Mr. Greenough and his Model, 
161. Stuart, with a Borrowed Pencil, writes "Adopted" upon it; 
Amos Lawrence, in his last Letter, gives the Credit to Greenough and 
Baldwin, 162. Letter of G. W. Brimmer, Architect, 163. New Com- 
mittee apiDointed to report a Plan and Estimates of a Column, and 
also of an Obelisk ; their Report recommending the Column, 164. The 
Vote rejecting it, 167. New Committee appointed to report a Design 
in the Form of an Obelisk, 168. Mr. Everett's Letter acquiescing in 
the Decision, and containing a Toast for the Celebration Dinner, 168. 
General Dearborn's Letter still urging the Column, 169. Letter of 
Solomon Willard, with Estimates, 171. Honorable Conduct of Dr. 
Warren; William Austin's Recommendation, 172. Letter of William 
Ladd, the Apostle of Peace, recommending a Mausoleum, 173. The 
Plan adopted the best for all time and wholly unobjectionable, 178. 

CHAPTER IX. 

LoAMMi Baldwin, his Father a Friend of Count Rumford, 179; his Class- 
mates; his Anecdote of his own Experience as a Lawyer; he adopts the 
Profession of a Civil Engineer, 180. His Brothers in same Profession, 
181. His Associates on the Committee upon the Obelisk, and his 
Method in determining the Proper Proportions, 182. His Report in 
full, adopted by the Board, 183. His Estimates, 188. The Building 
Committee; Colonel Baldwin's Letter declining to serve, 190. His 
Second Letter persisting in declining, 191. The Filling of the Vacancy, 
and the Building Committee made the Standing Committee, 194. 
Purchase of Sword of General Warren; Depositions of the Revolution- 
ary Soldiers, 195. Failure of the Negotiations with the Town of 



CONTENTS. Xlll 

Charlestown as to its Purchase of a Right in the Battle-ground; the 
Training-field, 196. New Street needed; Controversy about Taxes, 
197. Vote of Thanks to the Treasurer; his Statement, and the Ap- 
propriation of $25,000, for the Monument, 198. 

CHAPTER X. 

Solomon Willakd elected Architect; Dinner at Dr. Warren's, 199. 
Letter of Daniel P. Parker, 200. Colonel Perkins's Recommenda- 
tion of Willard, 201. Willard's Training and Ancestry, 201; his 
Agreement to give his Services for his Expenses merely; his Selec- 
tion of the Granite for the Monument, 203; his Preparations during 
the Winter of 1825-20, 201; his Letter announcing he had broken 
Ground, 205. The Position of the Monument, as intended by the 
Committee, with reference to the Redoubt; Surveys since made, 
206. Work at the Ledge; State Grant, 207. Mr. Willard's Let- 
ter, 208. The First Railroad in the United States suggested by 
the Projectors of the Monument, 209. First Year's Work, 210. 
Gridley Bryant, 211. Colonel Perkins elected President, on the 
Resignation of Mr. Webster, 212. Mr. Willard sends in his Resig- 
nation; afterwards withdraws it; his Letter to Amos Lawrence, 213. 
Money obtained by Loans to forward the Monument, on Bank Notes 
signed by the Committee and on Pledge of the Land, 214. Suspension 
of the Work; Mr. Willard's Labors in the Mean Time, 215. The Two 
Succeeding Prosecutions of the Work, 216. Mr. Willard's Judgment 
in his Choice of Men; the Monument built wholly by Total Abstinence 
Men ; the Real Value of the Monument far above its Actual Cost, 217. 
Mr. Willard's Death, 218. Memoir by Mr. Wheildon; the Work pub- 
lished by Mr. Willard describing the Monument, and vindicating the 
Course of the Directors, 219. The Most Impressive Scene in the Life 
of Willard, 220. His Great Service in its Construction; his Claim to 
the Regard of Posterity assured, 221. 

CHAPTER XI. 

W^iLLiAM Sullivan; his Father; his Classmates; his Brother Richard; his 
own Position, 223. His Letter to Dr. AVarren, 224. Vote of Thanks 
for his Services; William Tudor elected Director; General Sullivan's 
Criticism upon a Draft of a Letter proposed to be sent to Bolivar, 225. 
His Letter to Dr. Warren proposing to close his Agency for the Asso- 
ciation, 227. He retracts his Purpose; Effort of the Standing Com- 



XIV CONTENTS. 

mittee to obtain New Subscriptions; Letter of Lemuel Shaw, 228; of 
Thomas Power, 229. Boston had subscribed more than Half of the 
Whole Amount; Letter of Otis Corbett describing the Situation in 
Worcester, 230. Condition of Massachusetts and New England at that 
Time, 231. The Response fully equal to the First Demand, 232. The 
Lottery Scheme proposed ; it had been availed of by Harvard College, 
was then proposed by General Dearborn as a Means to carry on Inter- 
nal Improvements; Leave to sell Tickets for City of Washington asked 
for, 233. J. K. Casey's Scheme; Petition for the Direct Aid of the 
State preferred instead, 234. Extract from the Address of General 
Dearborn, 23-5. Changes in the Board; Governor Levi Lincoln, Pi'esi- 
dent; the Building Committee, 237. Effort of the Ladies; Judge 
William Prescott, President, and other Changes; a New Petition to the 
Legislature, 238. Resolutions adopted by the Board, 239. Extract 
from a New Address of Mr. Everett, 240. The Committee to urge 
another Petition; the Annual Meeting in 1831, 242. The Anti-Ma- 
sonic Movement, 243. Adjournments to fill Vacancies; the Second 
Adjournment to Faneuil Hall, 244. By-Laws and Votes adopted, 245. 
The Annual Meeting in 1832, 246. Ground of the Anti-Masonic 
Movement, 247. The Part taken by Mr. Paris in laying the Corner- 
stone, 248. Expense of that Celebration, and the Reason for not invit- 
ing Lafayette to perform the Ceremony ; the Complaint of having 
bought too much Land, 250. Dr. Abner Phelps; Mr. Everett's Plea 
against selling any of the Land, 251. Extract from it, 252. Regret 
that the Appeal was not responded to; the Unfinished INIouument 
like a Ruin, and as if awaiting the Result of Attempted NuUifi- 
cation, 253. 

CHAPTER XII. 

Amos Lawrence's Birth; his Father Samuel, a Minute-man; Groton 
Academy, 255. The Success of Amos Lawrence; his Partnership 
with Abbott Lawrence ; his Great Philanthropy, 250. His Letter to 
Dr. Warren, 257. The Reply, 258. He will not bargain with himself, 
259. His Letter to Willard, 2G0. To General Sullivan ; he refuses to 
favor a Lottery; induces his Associates on the Committee to join him 
in a Loan to aid tlie Monument, 261. Letter and Proposition to the 
Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association, 262. Honorable 
Standing of this Society, 263 Committee of Directors to confer with 
it as to Officers ; the Great Meeting in Faneuil Hall, 264. George 
Blake, Colonel Greene, and Mr. Everett, 265. He made the Occa- 
sion; his Speech, 206. Its Effect; Mr. Lawrence regrets the Oj^portunity 



CONTENTS. XY 

was not improved, 267. Enlargement of the Board at the Annual 
Meeting in 1833, 268. Mr. Everett's Letter to Mr. Sullivan as to New 
Diploma, and to obtaining a Share in the Tolls of the Bridges for the 
Monument, 269. His Newspaper Article advising the Public to go over 
the Old Bridge to help on the Monument; General Austin's Objection 
to a Diversion of the Tolls, 271. Executive Committee, 272. Their 
Report, 273. Mr. Willard objects to their raising the Estimates; Mr. 
Darracott compliments Mr. Willard, 275. Mr. Buckingham's Report, 
276. Proposed Reduction in the Height of the Monument; Work re- 
commenced; Amount expended; Mr. Buckingham made President; 
Mr. Watts, Secretary; Celebration in Charlestown; Alexander H, 
Everett's Oration, 278. Effort of the Young Men, 279. Conditional 
Sale of the Land; the Square reduced; Depressed Financial State of 
the Country, 280. Preparations to grade the Land ; the Last Effort to 
save it, 281. Amos Lawrence's AVill; General Lyman; Nathan Tufts; 
Joshua Bates, and A. L. Forrestier, 282. Judah Touro and his Friend 
R. D. Shepherd, 283. The Monument waiting for Woman's Help to 
elevate it, 281. 

CHAPTER XIIT. 

Sarah J. Hale's Effort; Extract from her First Article, 285. The Last 
of the Band, 287. Mrs. Sigourney's Co-operation; Reply of General 
Dearborn, Chairman of Committee, to Mrs. Hale's Offer, 288. The 
Objectors to the Plan, 289. Resolutions of the Directors, 290. The 
Ladies' Circular, 291. The Result, and Mrs. Hale's View of it, 293. 
Annual Meetings in 1839 and in 1840 ; the President's Desponding 
Report, 294. The Vote passed Authorizing the Fair, 295. The Fair 
Committee and the Women set to Work, 296. Proposals for complet- 
ing the Monument called for; the Time appointed for the Fair; the 
Whig Mass Convention, 297. Opening of the Fair, 298. Regula- 
tions, 299. "The Monument" Paper; the Post-office, 300. The 
Whig Procession ; Mr. Webster Declines to propose a Whig Subscrip- 
tion for the Monument; Honor to Judah Touro, 301. Mrs. Paige's 
Subscription Book ; Contract for Completing the Monument ; the Build- 
ing Committee; why a Contract was made, 302. The use of Steam 
Power in hoisting the Stone; Proposed Change of Plan of the Apex, 
303. The Record of the Laying of the Cap-stone, 304. Receipts from 
the Fair, 305. Expenditures, 306. Thomas Sully's Letter; Payment 
by Miss Mary Otis, Treasurer ; Report of the Fair Committee, 307. 
Resolutions of the Directors, 309. Treasurer's Abstract of Recent 



XVI CONTENTS. 

Donations ; Resolutions of Thanks to Mr. Touro, and providing for an 
Inscription, 311. Mrs. Hale's Subsequent Efforts for the Annual Ob- 
servance of a National Thanksgiving, 312. Mrs. Harrison Gray 
Otis's Influence in Making the 22d of February a State Holiday, 313. 
The Mission of the Women of the Country, 314. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Joseph T. Buckingham, President, 315. His and the Secretary's call on 
Mr. Webster, 316. Committee of Arrangements for the Celebration 
of June 17, 1843, 317. Entry of the President of the United States 
into Boston; the Morning of the 17th, 318; the Procession, under 
General Chandler, 319; the Perfect Order daring the Day; Arrange- 
ments for the Public Services under James W. Paige, Chief-Marshal, 
320. The Prayer; Mr. Webster presented to the Audience: the 
Occasion fully equal to that of 1825; his Oration, 321. The Echo 
*' over the Globe; " Dr. Warren's opinion, 322. Return of the Pro- 
cession ; the New Procession to the Dinner in Faneuil Hall ; the first 
Toast and Hymn, 323. Other Toasts; the Toast of the President of 
the United States; Toast in Honor of Mr. Webster, 321. His Re- 
ply; Toast to South Carolina and Massachusetts, 325. Mr. Ban- 
croft's Speech and Toast in Honor of Vii'ginia, 326. Mr. Upshur's 
Response, 327. Mr. Wickliffe's Reference to the Old South, 328. 
Caleb Cushing's Sentiments; Toast to Mr. Everett, and his Letter, 
329. Amos and Judah, 330. Concluding Sentiments ; Levee in 
the Evening, 331. Changes near Monument Square; the two His- 
torical Paintings, 332. Death of H. S. Legare, 333. Death of 
Captain Cleveland, 334. Mr. Grattan's Letter, 335. The Masonic 
Celebration, 336. Address of John Soley, 337. Grand ]\Iaster Pea- 
body; Extract of Mr. Warren's Address on the Part of King Solo- 
mon's Lodge, 338. Doings of the Building Committee and their 
Report, 340. Improvements of the Square; JNlr. AVarren elected 
President, and Joseph II. Buckingham Secretary, 312. Resolutions 
of the Association; Celebration by the City of Charlestown; Presen- 
tation of General Putnam's Sword, 313. Death of N. P. Russell, 
Treasurer, and Election of Sanmel H. Russell; Connnittee for the 
Celebration of the 75th Anniversary, 344. Mr. Everett the Orator; 
the Use of a Ship-house in the Navy Yard obtained, Colonel I. H. 
Wright Chief Marshal, 315. The Governor orders out the Cadets; 
the Procession; the Appearance of the Ship-house, 316. Mr. Ever- 



CONTENTS. XVll 

ett's Oration, 347. The Dinner, 348. The Toasts of Mr. Webster 
and Mr. Winthrop; Colonel Perkins's Subscription of $1,000 for a 
Monument to General Warren, 349. A Statue determined upon; 
the Committee; the Sculptor; Arrangements for the Inauguration 
of the Statue, 350. The Inauguration Services ; Death of Colonel 
Perkins, 351. The Example he set; the Published Account of this 
Celebration; the Theme on Bunker Hill, 352. 



CHAPTER XV. 

Visit of the Prince of Wales to Bunker Hill ; the Invitation and 
Reception, 353. His Visit to the Historical Society; President Win- 
throp shows him the Crossed Swords; the Attentions of Mayor Lin- 
coln; the Letter to the Prince, accompanying the Memento of his 
Visit, 355. Letter of the Duke of Newcastle, 356. Of General 
Bruce, 357. Second Letter, 358. The Queen and the People of 
England favored the Cause of the United States; the Error of the 
Seceding States, 359. The Reason for the Displaying of the Flag 
from the Top of the Monument, 360. Services of that Ceremony; 
Extract from the President's Address to the Governor, 361. From 
Governor Andrew's Reply, 262. The Enthusiasm of the Assembly, 
363. Colonel Fletcher Webster's Remarks; his Heroic Death, 364. 
Names of others connected with the Association, or its Founders, who 
died in the Civil War; the Efforts of the Association; President's 
Remarks in 1882; Mr. Winthrop indorses them, 365. The Faith 
in the Ultimate Issue, as shown in the Prosecution of Public Works 
and by Congress ; the Committee on the Beacon Hill Monument, 
366. The Act authorizing the Association to rebuild it, 367. The 
Last Display of the Flag from the Mast above the Monument ; a 
Liberty Pole erected on the Square; its Removal, 368. Arrange- 
ments for the Centennial Anniversary; Choice of Orator; the Union 
of Charlestown and Boston ; Appropriation of the City Council ; 
Petition that the 17th of June be declared a Legal Holiday, 369. 
Its Residt; the Two Publications in relation to the Celebration; the 
Procession, 370. Services in the Pavilion; the Oration, 371. The 
Encomium upon it by the late Vice-President ^Vilson; Concluding 
Services; the Grand Lodge of Masons, and the Masonic Aprons of 
General Warren and Lafayette ; the Contrast between 1875 and 1825, 
372. The Prophecy of Lafayette's Toast; the Unexpected Abolition 
of Slavery, and its Glorious Result, 373. 



XVlll CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XVT. 

The Bunker Hill Monument a Type of tlie National Unity ; Mr. 
Webster's Patriotism, 375. The Committee on Inscriptions ; tlie 
Vacancies in it filled, 376. Drafts of Inscriptions by Francis C 
Gray and George Ticknor, 377. Letter of Mr. Gray, 378. Draft by 
Franklin Dexter, 379. Report of Mr. Everett to the Committee, 
380. The Inscriptions recommended by him, 381. Meeting of the 
Committee ; Mr. Webster's Suggestion, 384. Report of the Com- 
mittee, and the Result, 385. The Proposed Granite Lodge; Plan of 
George M. Dexter and of W. S. Park; Repairs and Expenditures by 
Sub-Committee ; George Peabody's Donation, 386. History of the 
Revolutionary Cannon, the Hancock and Adams, 387. The Streets 
to the Monument, 389. The Proposed New Avenue and Statue of 
Governor Winthrop, 390. Present Valuation of the Land sold by 
the Association, and of the Buildings thereon, 391. The New Sec- 
retaries, S. F. McCleary and A. C. Fearing, Jr. ; the New Diploma, 
392. The Roll of Officers; Mr. Everett; the Russells; Mr. Tudor; 
General Dearborn; Mr. Winthrop, 393. Uriel Crocker; T. R. Mar- 
vin ; Honorary Members ; Annual Meeting in 1875, 394; Mr. Froth- 
ingham elected President; Vote of Thanks to the Retiring President ; 
Committee on a Statue of Colonel Prescott; other Work to be done, 
395. The Great Pendulum Experiment of Foucault, made at the 
Monument in 1850, 396. A New Phenomenon discovered by Pro- 
fessor Horsford, and his Account of it, 399. Bunker Hill the Place 
to show that the Earth moves, 401. 



The Monumental Dedication 402 



MEMORABILIA. 



IN MEMORIAM. 



Resolutions upon the Death of N. P. Russell and of Daniel Webster, 
405. Delegation to attend Mr. Webster's Funeral; Notices of the 
Death of Amos Lawrence and Robert G. Shaw, 406; of Thomas B. 
Wales. David Francis, Judah Touro, and Mr. Everett's Letter upon 
the Death of Dr. John C. Warren, 407. Resolution upon the same 



CONTENTS. xix 

and upon the Death of Abbott Lawrence, of David Devens, and of 
Franklin Dexter, 409. Resolution upon the Death of George AV. 
Otis; Notices of Benjamin Loriug and James Clark, 410. Enumera- 
tion of the Notices and Resolutions published in the " Proceedings," 
411. Winslow Lewis and Thomas Aspinwall, 412. 

ROLL OF OFFICERS. 

Presidents and Vice-Presidents, 413. Secretaries, 414. Treasurers, 
Standing Committee, and Vice-Presidents ex officio, 415. Direc- 
tors, 416. Anniversary Celebrations, 419. Chaplains at Annual 
Meetings, 420. Honorary Members, 421. Associate Members, 423. 
Subscribers to the Statue of General Warren, 427. 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Battle of Bunker Hill Frontispiece. 

Joseph Warren Facing 1 

Daniel Webster ,, 31 

Thomas H. Perkins ,, 49 

Edward Everett ,, 71 

John Collins Warren ,, 153 

The Obelisk upon a Platform ,, 179 

Amos Lawrence ,, 255 

Robert Charles Winthrop ,, 353 

Uriel Crocker ,, 391 

Edward Everett, as he appeared in delivering the 

Address on Washington ,, 405 



Letter of Daniel Webster Facing viii 

Masonic Monument, and New Inscription .... ,, 17 

Letter of John Marshall and Superscription . . ,, 78 

,, ,, Thomas Jefferson ,, 93 

The First Diploma ,, 102 

Letter of Lafayette . . • ,, 123 

Model by Horatio Greenough ,, 162 

Section op Monument, with Measurements and 

Stages of Progress ,, 199 

Nathaniel Pope Russell ,, 223 

Sarah Josepha Hale ,, 285 

Tables at the Ladies' Fair ,, 298 

Mr. Russell's Letter to Amos Lawrence .... ,, 311 

Daniel Webster (from Pope's Historical Painting) . . ,, 315 

Letter of Edward Everett ,, 350 

Bunker Hill Monument and Square ,, 375 

Mr. Webster's Draft of Votes with Mr. Ever- 
ett's Indorsement ,, 385 

Letter of James Madison FoUoiring 422 

James Monroe 

William Bainbridge 

James Kent 

Robert Y. Hayne 

Henry Clay 




in the possession, of DrJ Mascn 'Warren.. 




-a:)_s^:^^' 



/;^Si^i<!)ywj;i^^ 





HISTORY 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 



CHAPTER I. 

" Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori." 

THE Battle of Bunker Hill, on the seven- 
teenth of June, 1775, is one of those rare and 
signal events whose historic importance is constantly 
enhanced by the lapse of time and by the growth and 
spread of our country. As the United States of 
America advances in the scale of nations, the first 
great conflict in the American Revolution assumes a 
grandeur proportioned to its magnificent results. 
The resistance in Lexington and Concord, on the 
preceding 19th of April, to the incursion of the 
mihtary forces sent from Boston by the British com- 
mander to seize the military stores provided by the 
j)rovincial authorities, was a simultaneous nprising of 
the inhabitants of those places and of the surround- 
ing towns, started by the minute-men and patriots 
who were on the alert to watch and guard against the 
suspected movement. The news of the successful 

1 



\ 



*• ♦ 



2 HISTORY OF THE 

repulse was transmitted by fleet and willing messen- 
gers to all the British Colonies in North America. 

Then it was felt that the crisis had surely come. 
"VYar had been levied near the capital of Massachu- 
setts against the ill-advised representatives of the 
mother country, who were determined to enforce un- 
constitutional laws, and all the Colonies would now 
make common cause for home rule, or at least for a 
representation in the parent government. Putnam 
left the plough in the furrow, and came quickl}^ 
with a j'cgiment from Connecticut. Stark and Reed 
marched as quickly their forces from Xew Hampshire. 
A cam^J was formed at Caaibridge, on the very heels 
of the British army. Harvard College, even then 
venerable, — for the dear old mother had passed more 
than a third of her second century, — gave up her 
seat of learning for military quarters to the patriot 
army. 

The civil authority of the people was, by general 
consent, vested in the Pi'ovincial Congress then con- 
vened at Watertown, composed of delegates duly 
elected at legal meetings of the inhabitants of the 
several towns. The Continental Congress was simi- 
larly constituted by delegates elected from the thir- 
teen Colonies, and was at this very time in session at 
Philadelphia. Joseph Warren was President of the 
Provincial Congress of Massachusetts, and being also 
chairman of the Committee of Safety, he exercised, 
to a considerable extent, the powers of a civil ruler. 
He was active and vigilant in the public service. He 
aided in the routing of the British forces on the 19th 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 3 

of April, and, in the carrying out of the order to 
fortify Bunker Hill, was promptly on the ground to 
render his advice and assistance for its defence. 

This world-renowned battle has been graphically 
illustrated by historians, orators, and poets. Other 
famous writers have composed most interesting mono- 
graphs upon it. Many controversies have unhappily 
arisen with regard to its details, and the subsequent 
distribution of honors among its heroic actors has 
given rise to some acrimonious disputes. The actors 
themselves in this memorable scene were little con- 
scious of the noble history they were making, and of 
the serious questions which would arise in after-times 
as to some of the incidents of that eventful day; yet 
it appears that pains were taken by the Provincial 
Congress, immediately after, to make a true and suf- 
ficient record as to all the points which it was then 
supposed would become a matter of controversy. 

Aside from the remarkable bravery of the men on 
both sides, the coolness and self-possession of the 
commanding ofiicers in their several assigned posts, 
and the unequal slaughter inflicted upon the enemy, 
there were two events which marked this memorable 
day with sad and tragic interest. One was the con- 
flagration of Charlestown. That ancient town, — the 
slow and solid growth of almost a century and a half, 
— where, on the Seventeenth of June as then (1630) 
reckoned by the old style. Governor John Win- 
throp and his associates sat down to locate the 
seat of government, and where Harvard died, was 



4 HISTORY OF THE 

reduced to ashes. The church, with its commanding 
spire, the court-house, four other pubhc buildings, 
and at least four hundred dwelling-houses, some of 
which were elegant and costly, and about two hun- 
dred stores, warehouses, and shops, with their contents, 
were all destroyed! The fast-sjjreading flames, the 
clouds of smoke, and the alarms and shrieks of the 
homeless, added to the terrors of the bloody scene. 

But the still more conspicuous event, and one most 
significant in its results, was the death of Joseph 
Warren on the field of battle. A graduate of Har- 
vard College at the age of nineteen in 1759, a phy- 
sician of high renown, a man of culture and social 
distinction, the civil leader just elected a major-gen- 
eral, he fell a glorious volunteer when he might have 
taken the command. 

While these great events were transpiring, unbe- 
known to the Continental Congress then sitting at 
Philadel^^hia, in those times about a seven-days jour- 
ney from Boston, George "VYASHiNGTO]sr was, in the 
name of the "United Colonies of New Hampshire, 
Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New 
York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New Castle, Kent 
and Sussex on Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North 
Carolina, and South Carolina," appointed " General 
and Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the United 
Colonies, and of all the forces raised or to be raised 
by them, and of all others who shall voluntarily ofi:er 
their services, and join the said army for the defence 
of American liberty, and for repelling every hostile 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 5 

invasion thereof." The commission bears date June 
39, 1775, and is signed by John Hancock, President, 
" by oi'der of the Congress," and by Charles Thom- 
son, Secretary. 

This act, the authoiit}^ of which was generally 
recognized, was an official assumption by the Con- 
gress, on the part of these United Colonies, — in which 
Georgia was subsequently included, — of the military 
defence of the newly formed nation. The Congress, 
as if by Divine intimation, w^as led unanimously to 
the choice of the man Avho was to guide, protect, de- 
fend, and eventually to preside over the destinies of 
this nation, until its establishment should everywhere 
be acknowledged. 

General Washington made haste to reach the scene 
of the opening strife, and on the 3d of July follow- 
ing, he took command of the army at Cambridge. 
When, in answer to his inquiries, he was informed 
of the bravery and coolness displayed by the Ameri- 
cans in the battle of Bunker Hill, he took cour- 
age, and declared that our liberties were safe. In 
nine months from the day of Bunker Hill, — on the 
17th of March, 1776, — the deliverance of Massachu- 
setts was accomplished by the evacuation of Boston 
by the British troops. During these nine months, they 
were beleaguered and hemmed in by the American 
forces, — dignified by and actually deserving the name 
of the American army, — and were cut off from all 
supplies. 

The battle-field and the territory of the peninsula 
of Charlestown had until then been occupied by the 



6 HISTORY OF THE 

British forces. As soon as they put to sea, the inhabi- 
tants of Charlestown came back to find where their 
homes were, and to rebuild the waste places. Timothy 
Dwight, in his " Travels in 'New England and New 
York," has commented with considerable severity 
npon their neglect to improve the fine opportunity 
they had, to lay out the town in regular streets and 
squares; the land-owners putting their land into com- 
mon stock for this purpose, and then each taking an 
equal quantity near his former position npon the new 
location. Had this been done, no town or city in the 
world could have presented so fine an appearance, so 
beautiful and well adapted for elegant residences are 
the natural advantages of the place. But if any 
people could be excused for that singular want of 
forecast in not laying out the township anew, with 
reference to a greater convenience and utility, the 
inhabitants of Charlestown, returning to the places 
of their homes after a most disastrous conflagration, 
deserve the extenuation. During the war of the 
Kevolution, with their crippled means, and in the 
absence of proper legislative authority, they could 
hardly do otherwise than allow each proprietor to 
improve his own land, without interfering with his 
ancient boundaries. 

But the people of Charlestown showed they were 
conspicuous for enterprise. In nine years after their 
return, they conceived the design of erecting a bridge 
between Charlestown and Boston over the mouth of 
Charles Kiver. The act of the General Coui't of 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 7 

Massachusetts, passed on the 9th of March, 1785, re- 
citing in the preamble that " the erecting of a bridge 
over Charles River, in the place where the ferry be- 
tween Boston and Charlestown is now kept, will be 
of great public utility," authorizes John Hancock, 
Thomas Russell, Nathaniel Gorham, James Swan, 
and Eben Parsons, Avith their associates, to become 
a corporation to build and maintain such a bridge. 
The accomplishment of this work was the wonder of 
the times: it was a bridge over what was then called 
an arm of the sea, longer than either of the London 
bridges, and supported by piers when it was asserted 
that in the swiftly flowing currents of the stream the 
undertaking would be impracticable. 

The completion of this wonderful structure was 
celebrated on the 17th of June, 1786, — the first cele- 
bration of this anniversary. 

An imposing procession was formed at the old 
State House, in State Street, under the escort of the 
Charlestown Artillery, commanded by Major "William 
Calder, a survivor of the battle, led off by one hun- 
dred and twenty " artificers " who had been employed 
on the bridge, carrying their different tools. Then 
followed in order the ofl&cers and proprietors of the 
Bridge Corporation; the Sheriffs of Middlesex and 
Suffolk; His Excellency James Bowdoin, the Gover- 
nor; His Honor Thomas Gushing, the Lieutenant- 
Governor, and the Council of the Commonwealth; the 
Senate, with its President; the Speaker and House of 
Re]3resentatives; the Treasurer and Secretary of State; 
the Consuls of France and Holland; the Judges of 



8 HISTORY OF THE 

the Supreme Judicial Court; the Attorney-General; 
Naval and Excise officers; the clergy; the Professors 
and Tutors of the University; the Selectmen of 
Boston and of Charlestown; the Commander of 
Castle William, and officers of the late Continental 
Army; the President and Directors of the Massa- 
chusetts Bank, the only bank then established; and 
a large number of private gentlemen, foreigners and 
citizens, with a body of civil officers closing the ranks. 

As this dignified procession moved along in joyous 
state, it was greeted by thousands along the streets. 
On aj^proaching the centre of the bridge, the artificers 
opened to the i-ight and left. The President of the 
Bridge Corporation advanced, and gave the order to 
the master workman to adjust the draw for the pas- 
sage of the company over the marvellous structure. 
This ceremony was accompanied by a discharge of 
thirteen cannon from Copp's Hill, and then the pro- 
cession moved on amid the loudest shouts of an im- 
mense multitude. The estimate, at the time, of the 
whole number of those who gazed upon the proceed- 
ings, places it at twenty thousand persons. 

On reaching Bunker Hill, there was another salute 
of thirteen guns, — corresponding to the number of 
States of the Union, — and the distinguished com- 
pany, numbering from eight hundred to a thousand, 
sat down to the tables. Among the thirteen regular 
toasts which were drunk after the dinner were: "The 
United States," — there was then no President, — 
" The Governor and Commonwealth," " The Allies of 
America," " This Anniversary, — may it be for ever 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 9 

marked with joy, as its birth was with glory," " The 
junction of the two towns;" and the last, the thirteenth, 
was, "All mankind, — may peace, harmonj^, and hap- 
piness reward and unite all the branches of the mig-hty 
family." So terminated, on this field of terrific slaugh- 
ter, the first great celebration of this memorable day, 
which, after the short period of eleven years, was 
fixed upon to commemorate the completion of a great 
undertaking auspicious of future prosperity. l^ov 
since has the day been permitted to pass without 
some observance of a local or a more general nature. 

A few years later, in 1794:, King Solomon's Lodge 
of Free and Accepted Masons, in Charlestown, erected 
a monument to the memory of General Joseph Warren 
and his associates, on the spot where he was slain. It 
was a most graceful and patriotic act on the part of 
the Lodge, in honor of the illustrious man wdio was, 
at the time of his death, Grand Master of the Grand 
Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts, and united high 
Masonic character and renown to his devotion to 
principle and his soul-stirring patriotism. James 
Russell, a venerable citizen and magistrate, ofiJered a 
deed of as much land as might be wanted, and a com- 
mittee of the Lodge, of which Josiah Bartlett was 
chairman, erected in " Mr. Russell's pasture " (as their 
report says) a costly monument, in the form of a 
Tuscan pillar, eighteen feet high, placed upon a plat- 
form eight feet high and eight feet square, and sur- 
mounted by a gilt urn, bearing the initials and age of 
Warren : " J. W. M. 34." 

2 



10 HISTORY OF THE 

The following appropriate inscriptions were placed 
upon the base : — 

Erected A. D. 1794, by King Solomon's Lodge of Freemasons, constituted 

at Charlestown, 1783, in memory of Major General Warren 

and his Associates, who were slain on this 

memorable spot, June 17, 1775. 

" None but they who set a just value upon the blessings of Liberty are 

worthy to enjoy her. In vain we toiled; in vain yve fought; 

we bled in vain, if you our offsiDring want valor 

to repel the assaults of her invaders! " 

Charlestown Settled 1628; Burnt 1775; Rebuilt 1776. The enclosed 
land given by Hon. James Russell. 

The dedication of this Monument, December, 1794, 
was a touching spectacle. A j^rocession was formed 
at Warren Hall, where the Lodge then met, consisting 
of the Lodge and other Masonic brethren, the Select- 
men of the town, the magistrates of the counties of 
Middlesex and Suffolk, the minister and deacons, 
other town and parish officers, military officers, and 
citizens, and closing up with the trustees and the 
scholars of the public schools. It was preceded by a 
band of music, and marched with slow step to the 
notes of a dirge, to the place where the monument 
was erected. There the following concise and appro- 
priate addi'ess was delivered by John Solej^, Jr., the 
Worshipful Master of the Lodge : — 

FELLOAv-CrrizEKS AKD Bketheen : 

We have now assembled, around the graves of our departed 
countrymen, to pay that tribute which is due to tlie brave de- 
fenders of our liberties. Nations in all aaes have endeavored 



BUNKER HILL MOXUMENT ASSOCIATION. 11 

to perpetuate the brilliant actions of their heroes ; thereby to 
inspire the living with a spirit of emulation, and to discharge 
the obligations they owe to those deeds of valor by which their 
rights are secured. 

We, citizens of Columbia, not content with having raised a 
monument of gratitude in our hearts, would present one to the 
eye of future generations. Directed by these laudable motives, 
King Solomon's Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons have 
erected on Mount Warren the Pillar you behold ; and in their 
behalf I now solemnly dedicate it to the memory of our late 
beloved and Most Worshipful Brother, the Honorable Joseph 
Warren, and his associates, who nobly fell on this memorable 
spot, in the cause of their country. 

And when, from this celebrated eminence, you behold the 
solemn temple, the abodes of domestic happiness, the an- 
cient seat of literature, the vestiges of opposition to tyranny, 
the fruitful fields of the husbandman, and the waving flag of 
commerce, — forget not those by whose virtuous exertions you 
now enjoy these inestimable blessings. 

And, while they bloom afresh in your own remembrance, con- 
vey the history of this noble purchase to your listening children. 
Teach them obedience to the voice of their country ; inform 
them that their birth-right is Freedom; and, pointing to this 
Monument, tell them, the legacy left them by their countrymen 
to maintain it is valor. Having thus inspired them with their 
bravery to defend their country in the field, may they descend 
from the tumult of war to the tranquillity of peace, and learn 
the noblest conquest, — of themselves. 

And, O thou ever-existing and omnipresent Architect, ap- 
prove this solemn dedication to the memory of Columbia's 
valiant sons; accelerate the extension of their honest fame, and 
perpetuate its being in the bosom of posterity. May this pub- 
lic evidence of their valor teach others the danger of invading 
the peaceful abodes of freemen ; and may it have a tendency 
to lessen that lawless ambition for conquest which has filled the 
world with blood. 



12 HISTORY OF THE 

The flags were placed at half-mast, and minute- 
guns were fired bj the Charlestown artillery. After 
the ceremonies on the hill, the procession returned in 
the same order to Warren Hall, where Josiah Bart- 
lett, who was afterwai'ds Grand Master of the Grand 
Lodge of Massachusetts, pronounced an eloquent 
eulogy on General Warren, and a solemn dirge or 
requiem was sung. The General Court afterwards 
recognized the noble tribute of King Solomon's Lodge 
by the following Act, passed February 3, 1796 : — * 

An A.ct fur the Preservation of a Monument erected on the 
Heights of Charlestown. 

Whereas, the Society of Freemasons, in Charlestown, 
in the county of Middlesex, designated by the name of King 
Solomon^ s Lodge, have erected a Monument in memory of 
Major General Joseph Wary'en and his associates, who were 
slain on the heights of said Charlestoion, on the seventeenth of 
June, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five ; and have 
been presented by the Hon. James Russell with a piece of land 
for that purpose : 

Sect. 1. J3e it enacted by the Senate and House of llep- 
resenlatives iti General Court assembled , and by the authority 
of the same, That any legal deed or conveyance of tlie said 
land, duly recorded, shall enable the ^'AnXICing Sulomon''s Lodge 
of Freemasons to hold the same in fee-simple, for the purposes 
aforesaid, for ever. 

Sect. 2. And be it further enacted hy the authority afore- 
said, That the ISIaster or Treasurer of the said Lodge for the 
time being shall have power and authority to sue for and re- 
cover damages, in any court of law suitable to try the same, 
from any person or persons who shall be convicted of defacing, 
injuring, or destroying the said ]\[onumcnt ; and the person or 
persons thus convicted shall, in addition to such damages 
as may be legally awarded, pay to the Master or Treasurer 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 13 

of the snid Lodge a fine not exceeding twenty dollars, nor 
less than two dollars, at the discretion of the court before 
whom the action for damages shall be finally tried ; which 
fines shall be appropriated for the necessary repairs of the said 
Monument. 

Soon after the great Evacuation-day of Boston, the 
17th of March, 1776, the body of General Warren was 
found, having been identified by Dr. Jeffries, by the 
loss of a joint of one finger by a felon, and also by a 
peculiar tooth, a part of which had been broken off 
in early life. The body was reinterred, with solemn 
ceremonies, at King's Chapel in Boston, April 8, 
1776. Perez Morton delivered the eulogy. As in 
the following exordium he solemnly addressed the 
remains of the departed spirit, the effect upon the 
crowded audience was indeed startling: — 
Illustrious Relics : 

"What tidings from the grave? Why hast thou left the 
peaceful mansions of the tomb to visit again this troubled earth ? 
Art thou the welcome messenger of peace? Art thou risen 
again to exhibit thy glorious wounds, and through them pro- 
claim salvation to thy country? Or art thou come to demand 
that last debt of humanity, to which your rank and merit have 
so justly entitled you, but which has been so long and ungene- 
rously withheld ? Art thou angry at the barbarous usage ? Ee 
appeased, sweet Ghost ! For though thy body has long laid 
undistinguished among the vulgar dead, scarce privileged with 
earth enough to hide it from the birds of prey ; though not a 
kindred tear was dropped, though not a friendly sigh was ut- 
tered o'er thy grave ; and tho' the execrations of an impious 
foe were all thy funeral knells, yet, matchless Patriot, thy 
memory has been embalmed in the affections of thy grateful 
countrymen, who, in their breasts, have raised eternal monu- 
ments to thy bravery ! 



14 HISTORY OF THE 

]^J^ot only were the name and fame of Warren justly 
celebrated at the place of his birth and death, but all 
over the globe where liberty was loved and heroism 
revered did they become the subject of eulogy. 
Botta, the elegant Italian historian, in his history of 
the American war, thus speaks of him, in the faithful 
translation of Otis: — 

" He was one of those men wlio are more attached to liberty 
than to existence ; but not more ardently the friend of freedom 
than foe to avarice and ambition. He was endowed with a 
solid judgment, a happy genius, and a brilliant eloquence. In 
all private affairs, his opinion was reputed authority ; and in all 
public counsels, a decision. Friends and enemies, equally know- 
ing his fidelity and rectitude in all things, reposed in him a con- 
fidence without limits. Opposed to the wicked, without hatred ; 
propitious to the good, without adulation ; affable, courteous, 
and humane towards each, he was beloved with reverence by 
all, and respected by envy itself. Though in his person some- 
what spare, his figure was peculiarly agreeable. He mourned 
at this epoch the recent loss of a wife, by whom he was tenderly 
beloved, and whom he cherished with reciprocal affection. In 
dying so gloriously for his country on this memorable day, he 
left several orphans, still in childhood ; but a grateful country 
assumed the care of their education. Thus was lost to his 
State, and to his family, in so important a crisis, and in the 
vigor of his days, a man equally qualified to excel in council or 
in the field." 

The exalted praise universally extended to Joseph 
Warren was not on account of any merit of his in the 
conduct of the battle of Bunker Hill. Thon<>h some 
writers took it foi* granted that, being Major-General 
and the highest officer in rank in the field, he, of 
course, assumed the command, yet it is generally 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 15 

known that, when the command was tendered to him by 
Colonel William Prescott, he courteously replied to 
him that he came to learn the art of war of a veteran 
soldier. It was rather for his unflinching service and 
devotion to the cause of liberty, as shown in his 
whole career, — as orator of the public assembly, as 
a civil leader in the council of state, as a copatriot 
with Samuel Adams and Josiah Quincy. Though, as 
is supposed, he did not concur in the order of the 
council to fortify Bimker Hill at that time, neverthe- 
less, after the measure was determined upon, he was 
all the more eager, by his personal presence and aid, 
to promote its successful execution. When, the night 
before, his friend Elbridge Gerr}^, afterwards Vice- 
President of the United States, entreated him not 
to risk his life in that attempt, he replied in that well 
known motto, henceforth for ever associated with his 
memorj^: " Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" 
(Sweet and graceful it is to die eor one's 
country). He seemed to have a presentiment that he 
was to die for a country which even then existed in 
his contemplation, — embracing all the United Colo- 
nies, a correspondence with whom he had promoted, — 
and which was destined to become one of the grandest 
and most powerful nations of the earth. 

But, whatever his thought might have been, certain 
it now is, as we trace the signal events of the century 
to their leading causes, that, while the ruthless and 
unjustifiable act of General Gage, of burning Charles- 
town to the ground, set the hearts of the people 



16 



HISTORY OF THE 



against all further efforts of reconciliation with the 
demented government of the mother country, the 
martyrdom of Joseph \Yarren hallowed the cause in 
behalf of which the battle of Bunker Hill was fought, 
and inflamed the hearts of all American patriots with 
an enthusiastic and a determined purpose to prose- 
cute it to the end, until the Independence of the 
united Colonies should be achieved. 





ORIGINAL- INSCRIPTION. 

"Erected A. D. MDCCXCIV.,by King Solomon's Lodge of Freemasons, constituted at 

Cliarlestown, 1783, in memory of Major General Joseph Warben and his Associates, 

who were slain on this memorable spot, June 17, 1775. 

'None but they who set a just value upon the blessings of Liberty are worthy to enjoy her. 

In vain we toiled ; in vain wc fought; we bled m vain, if you, our offspring, want 

valor to repel the assaults of her invaders !' 

Charlestown Settled 1628; Burnt 1775; Rebuilt 1776. The enclosed land given by Hon. 

James Russell." 



NEW INSC'RIPTION. 

" This is an exact model of the first monument erected on Bunker- Hill, which, with the 
land on which it stood, was given, A. D. 1825, by King Solomon's Lodge, of this town, to the 
Bunlter-Hill Monument Association, that they might erect upon its site a more imposing 
structure. The Association, in fulfilmcntof a pledge at that time given, have allowed, in their 
imperishable obelisk, this model to be inserted, with appropriate ceremonies, by King Solo- 
mon's Lodge, June 24th, A. D. 1845." 



CHAPTER II. 



Hie cunabula gentis. 



JAMES EUSSELL, the generous donor of the 
land upon which the Masonic Monument was 
erected, was born in Charlestown, August 5, 1715, 
and died there on the 24th Api-il, 1798. His hfe 
almost spanned the whole of the eighteenth century, 
and was longer than that of any of his distinguished 
ancestors in this country. He was the descendant, 
in the fourth generation, from the Hon. Kichard 
Russell, who, at the age of twenty-nine, in the year 
1640, came from Herefordshire, England, and settled 
in Charlestown, and died in 1676, having filled the 
offices of Representative to the General Court, Coun- 
sellor, and Treasurer of the Province, and having 
made many noble donations and bequests to various 
public objects. 

The grandfather of James Russell, the Honorable 
James Russell, the eldest son of Richard Russell, 
was boi-n in Charlestown, October 4, 1640, and died 
there at the age of sixty-nine, April 28, 1709, having 
succeeded his father in his business as a merchant, 
and also in the public offices which he held. The 
father of James Russell, our illustrious donor, was 



18 HISTORY OF THE 

the Hon. Daniel Rnssell, who was born in Charles- 
town, ]N"ovember 30, 1685, and died December 6, 1763, 
at the age of seventy-eight, having been a member of 
his Majesty's Council for twenty years, and having 
also served the Province as Commissioner of Impost, 
and the Connty of Middlesex as Treasurer, for over 
fifty years. 

This is rather a remarkable instance of four gene- 
rations of the same family living in the same town, 
and succeeding to the same high offices of town, 
county, and province, for more than a century and a 
half, and all bearing the highest character for integ- 
rity, fidelity to duty, and for private as well as for 
official worth. 

James Russell, the first above-named, married, 
April 13, 1738, Catharine Greaves, great-grand- 
daughter of the celebrated j^ioneer, Thomas Greaves, 
who was born in RatcliflP, England, June 6, 1605, and 
who arrived at Salem in 1629, with Governor Endi- 
cott, and thence removed to Charlestown in that year. 
He laid out the town, giving it, as it is said, the name, 
and became one of the chief men of the place. One of 
their sons was the celebrated Thomas Kussell, Avho 
was born in Charlestown, April 17, 1740, and became 
one of the most eminent merchants of the time in the 
United States. He also represented his native town 
in the General Court. On his removal to Boston, he 
became president of several of the leading corpora- 
tions and societies, and, among others, of the Branch 
Bank of the United States. It was owing to his 
father's faith in the practicability of building a bridge 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 19 

over Charles River, persistently asserted against all 
objectors, that he was indnced to embark in the en- 
terprise, which, by his influence, was speedily accom- 
plished. He was a leading man in all the great 
undertakings and public charities of the place, and 
was distinguished for his refined manners and generous 
hospitality. He had determined to return to his na- 
tive town to spend the evening of his days, where his 
aucestoi's on both his father's and mother's side had 
resided since its first settlement, and he was, indeed, 
erecting an elegant mansion for his futiu'e residence, 
wdien untimely death overtook him, at the age of fifty- 
six, on April 8, 1796. Such was the general grief 
over the great public loss, that, by request of the many 
societies to wdiich he belonged and imparted the life- 
giving vigor of his intellect and wealth, a eulogy was 
pronounced by Dr. John Warren, a brother of 
Joseph Warren, in King's Chapel, May 4, 1796, on 
his life and character. 

It was the unhappj^ lot of James Russell to bury, 
during his protracted life, three other sons and two 
daughters. He left, at his decease, one son and four 
daughters surviving. He was ever singularly attached 
to his native town, by whose inhabitants he was revered 
and loved as a father. In many cases he subordinated 
his own family interests to that of the town. Jedediah 
Morse, D.D., in his funeral sermon, commeuds, with 
pastoral affection, " his integrity, piety, charity, and 
patriotism, his hospitality, sobriety, and temperance, 
and the pareutal and social virtues which exalted and 
adorned his character." 



20 HISTORY OF THE 

It is believed that there are no descendants of 
James Knssell in the male line, and bearing the 
family name, now living. There are, however, sev- 
eral descendants in the female line, bearing distin- 
gnished names, which they themselves have honored, 
some of whom will appear as prominent actors in this 
history. The blood of this great progenitor still 
flows in the current of human life, in which his ex- 
cellent traits and qualities, we may believe, have been 
transmitted. John Soley, who dedicated the Masonic 
Monument, and was afterwards Grand Master of the 
Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, married a grand- 
daughter, and has left several descendants who have 
been famous in the public service. 

The battle-ground, and especially the Russell past- 
ure on which the Monument to " General Warren 
and his brave associates " stood, became an object of 
great interest to sojourners and ti'avellers. In the 
early days of the Republic, when the facilities for 
travel were exceedingly limited, the number of travel- 
lers was comparatively less than now. There were 
but few tourists in those days. A daily stage-coach 
furnished all the accommodation for travel on the 
principal thoroughfares, and many long and intimate 
friendships were commenced by the chance acquaint- 
ance of fellow-passengers during a long day's ride. 

As strangers came to Charlestown to visit the 
battle-field, they often inquired after some of the old 
residents, who, as witnesses of the event, might relate 
to them the details of the battle, eveiy year becoming 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 21 

more famous. There was Richard Devens, the old 
Commissary of the Army, who was on the Committee 
of Public Safety, and knew all the movements of the 
patriots, with whom he was associated from the start. 
Many statements he communicated as to their doings, 
and as to the reasons which prompted them to act. 
He died, September 20, 1807, at the age of eighty 
years; and there are several descendants of distinc- 
tion bearing his honored name. 

Of course, Judge Kussell, as the owner of the 
pasture-land on Avhich the most important event of 
the battle and of American history occurred, knew 
all the incidents of the bloody day, and was ready to 
impart them to all those who enjoyed his bounteous 
hospitality. Deacon Thomas Miller, who married the 
widow of a son of Commissarj^ Devens, and was in 
the battle, was always ready to accompany the 
strangers to the ground. 

It was from these three prominent citizens that 
President Dwight obtained the facts mentioned in 
his account of the battle. He gives the following 
narration of the advice of a veteran, in the first Amer- 
ican council of war, upon the question, " How many 
cartridges should be served out to the men in Pres- 
cott's expedition?" This veteran felt the urgent ne- 
cessity of husbanding their ammunition, and he said: 
" War is in substance the same thing with hunting. 
A skilful hunter never shoots until he is sure of his 
mark. In the same manner ought soldiers to act. 
To shoot at men without being sufficiently near, and 



22 HISTORY OF THE 

without taking aim, is to shoot at random, and only 
to waste your powder. A thousand men are ordered 
out to Bunker's Hill. Suppose each man to have five 
rounds of cartridges; the whole number will be five 
thousand. If half of these should take effect (and 
if they do not, the men are not fit to be entrusted 
with cartridges), the consequence is that two thousand 
five hundred of the British fall. Does any man be- 
lieve that they will keep the ground until two thou- 
sand five hundred are shot down? Let our men take 
aim, then, as I do when I am hunting deer, and five 
rounds will be enough. Ten will certainly be more 
than enough." Although the result did not justify the 
calculation, there is no doubt that the firing of the 
Americans did far more deadly execution than that of 
any like body in any previous battle. This well-au- 
thenticated statement proves that there was a general 
understanding among all those in command on the 
American side that the men should reserve their fiie 
until they could take good aim. 

Many strangers were also refei-red to Isaac Warren, 
a Revolutionary soldier, though not in this battle, but 
on duty in the immediate neighborhood, who lived 
near the old Charlestown Square, and was about the 
only person bearing the name of Warren in the town. 
He would send invariably for his friend and neighbor, 
Deacon Miller, and they would often repair in com- 
pany, as guides of the interested traveller, to the 
consecrated ground. It is one of the earliest recol- 
lections of the writer's childhood, being the errand- 
boy, and then following the group, to hear the 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 23 

oft-repeated, but always seemingly marvellous, story. 
The Masonic Monument, as it gleamed up to the clear 
sky from the vacant and extended field, with no 
building near to dwarf its appearance or mar its 
beautiful proportions, and bearing its impressive in- 
scriptions, read repeatedly until learned by heart, was 
always an object of surpassing interest. Isaac War- 
ren was the founder of Warren Academy, a flourish- 
ing institution in Woburn. 

Timothy Thompson was also frequently sought out. 
On the day of the battle, after removing his wife, who 
was then pregnant, he made haste to join in the fight, 
and assisted in bearing off the field Colonel Gardner, 
who received a mortal wound, from which he soon 
died. One of the first orders issued by General 
Washington, after taking command, was in reference 
to his funei'al. Thompson's son, Timothy, was the 
first child born in Charlestown after the battle. The 
father lived till 1834, and was much respected. He 
has left several descendants, from whom the State and 
the city have been receiving much valuable service. 
• William Calder, who commanded a company in the 
battle, was a prominent character. After providing 
for the safety of his son, Robert, in the morning of 
that day, by putting him in a box supplied with 
breathing openings, and sending him off in a team, he 
joined his company, and did good service. Major 
Calder, as he was afterwards called, raised the 
Charlestown Artillery, which he commanded at the 
bridge celebration, in 1786, and was one of the Monu- 
ment Committee of King Solomon's Lodge. 



24 HISTORY OF THE 

There were other survivors of the battle, and many 
spectators of the scene from the surrounding house- 
tops and high places, each of whom had his personal 
reminiscences, and his own story to tell. To weave 
these separate accounts into a connected narrative, 
has been found to be no easy task. Such, however, is 
the delicate and difficult office of history. Many state- 
ments, as might naturally be expected, have been 
found irreconcilable. As persons differ materially in 
describing an ordinary occurrence, they would be apt 
to vary more essentially in narrating a scene of such 
great excitement and absorbing interest. But making 
all allowance for the discrepancies which would natu- 
rally arise from the excitement of the beholder at the 
time, and from his inadequate means of observation 
over the whole field, amid the smoke and din of a 
frightful conflagration, enough still remains, from all 
the statements put together and carefully sifted, from 
which to draw a tolerably accurate sketch of the great 
event as it actually transpired. 

The first matter that was usually explained to 
the visitor was, how this place came to be fortified, 
Avhen the order was given to fortify the real Bunker 
Hill, which is to be seen at a little distance, and of 
apparently twice the height. The ready answer was 
that this was not generally known by any distinct 
appellation as another hill. The parcels of land were 
called after their owners. Breed's pasture or land 
was not on the height of this lower surface, but 
stretched out on the south-easterly declivity. The 



BUNKEK HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 25 

place selected, not being then commonly called Breed's 
Hill, was deemed by Colonel Prescott, who had the 
charge of its execution, to be clearly included within 
the order under which he acted. It was nearer to 
the enemy in Boston, and, besides, if the higher 
eminence had been fortified, the British would imme- 
diately take possession of this. General Putnam was 
known to be in favor of fortifying both eminences, 
but he advocated commencing here. 

The next explanation Avould generally be that the 
outlines of the surface did not correctly show the 
works of the American forces in their expeditious con- 
struction of their redoubt and line of defence. The 
British, on taking possession and occupying the 
ground, for nine months after the battle, during which 
a large part of their army made it their winter quar- 
ters, had almost obliterated the American lines. They 
reversed the redoubt, so as to make it face in the 
opposite direction, looking towards the j)atriot lines, 
as will be more fully explained in the following 
chapter. 

Dr. John Warren says, in his diary, " The works 
which had been cast up by our men were entirely 
destroyed." This is of the date of March 21. He 
describes Charlestown as " a most melancholy heap 
of ruins," and says, " The hill which was the theatre 
upon which the bloody tragedy of the 17th of June 
was acted commands the most affecting view I ever 
saw in my life. The walls of magnificent buildings 
tottering to the earth below; above, a great number of 
rude hillocks, under which are deposited the remains. 



26 HISTORY OF THE 

in clusters, of those deathless heroes who fell in the 
field of battle." 

Vivid descrij)tions were given of Colonel WilHam 
Prescott, as he was seen within the redoubt urging 
on the work, or coolly walking outside upon the top to 
give courage to his men, dressed in his loose Indian 
banian ; or giving orders to his men to withhold 
their fire, on the advance of the enemy, until they 
could see the whites of their eyes, to take good aim, 
and not to waste their powder; or as he was con- 
ducting the retreat, the ammunition gone, and there 
being few bayonets in the regiment to sustain a close 
encounter, leading them off the field with so small a 
loss. How he spurned the idea in the morning that 
his regiment should be relieved, after their fatiguing 
labors! ISo: the men who built the fort will best 
defend it. How he did plead with General Ward for 
leave to return with his own men and only five hun- 
dred more, with sufiicient ammunition and bayonets, 
and he would guarantee to retake the hill! 

There were those who saw General Israel Putnam 
gallantly riding over every part of the field, bringing 
on reinforcements, giving counsel, and ever exposing 
himself in the thickest of the fight. He imparted 
his chivalrous ardor not only to his own troops from 
Connecticut, but to all who joined in the combat. 
The British officers who recognized his form in the 
distance felt his jiresence, and nerved themselves to 
greater efibrts in leading on their men to the en- 
counter. Mention was often made of the hearty 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 27 

cheers given to General Seth Pomeroy, the senior 
general officer from Massachusetts, as he advanced 
to the field. 

Many anecdotes were told of Colonel John Stark, 
afterwards appointed Brigadier-General of the Revo- 
lutionary army, — of his coohiess and eccentric traits. 
He was, indeed, an original character. As he 
marched slowly with his regiment, that the men on 
arrival might be still fresh for action, he took posi- 
tion at the extreme left of the line, and firmly held 
the ground. The New Hampshire men were there in 
large numbers. In fact, while some of Stark's men 
enlisted fi'om Prescott's town, Pepperell, near the bor- 
der of that State, Hollis sent in turn a full company 
to Prescott's regiment. Stark often said, " that there 
was no commander of all the American troops on 
this hard-fought day; and that most of the officers 
who conducted men there, all being moved by one 
common impulse and to one common end, fonght the 
common enemy much as they deemed best, each 
acting pretty mnch on his own hook." This state- 
ment quoted by Judge Levi Woodbury seems to be 
the conclusion now generally arrived at upon the vexed 
controversy of the command : that, while Prescott 
commanded and defended the fort, Putnam and 
Pomeroy were mainly engaged in holding the centre, 
and Stark, Reed, and Knowlton, at the extreme 
left of the line on the Mystic, were driving back 
the enemy in his persistent attempt to flank and 
surround the American forces. 



28 HISTORY OF THE 

There were those who saw General Warren fall, 
as he slowly retreated in the rear, and was shot in 
his head. He was heard to exclaim, "I'm a dead 
man; fight on, my brave fellows, for the salvation of 
your country! " " Country " was the last word upon 
the heroic martyr's lips. 

Those who gazed from the neighboring high places, 
viewed a most sublime spectacle, mingled with terror 
and grandeur, and they could not have failed to 
describe it often. There were elements in this scene 
rarely witnessed, which no pen could adequately 
portray, but which must have been most impres- 
sively told by the witnesses many a time upon the 
spot, as the great sad experience of their lives. 

Occasionally an intelligent Englishman would be 
shown over the ground, and, if he ventured to re- 
mark that the English gained this battle, he wonld 
be told, in substance: "True, the English gained 
this field at tremendous cost, for on that day they 
lost a continent, as their ablest statesmen declared at 
the time." Then the judgment of General Howe 
would be questioned by his countrymen for landing 
his troops where he did, when, under the protection 
of his ships, his barges might have borne them further 
up the Mystic, whence they could have attacked 
Pi'escott in his rear. But, before that could have 
been effected, from the superior point of observation 
their movement would have been divined in season, 
and General Ward would have hurried on detach- 
ments from his army reserved at Cambridge for that 
purpose, which, with Prescott's men, would have 
placed the British in a still worse position. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 29 

Was not the battle a blunder on both sides? were 
not the Americans foolhardy in nndertaking to for- 
tify the hill? and were not the British equally rash 
in making the attack? were questions often asked 
by the inquiring stranger. No ! it was the inevitable 
movement of events. The Americans were deter- 
mined to drive the British out of Boston. If they 
had not made the advance, the British would have 
secured the position, and strengthened their situation. 
As the result showed, the British were drawn out 
by the bold movement, and appeared eager to invite 
the combat. The challenge was accepted, and an 
exhibition of native skill, of cool courage, bravery, 
and heroic daring, satisfied their opponents that the 
American patriots were indeed in sober earnest. 

It is now very many years since the last survivor 
of the battle has lingered upon the scene to rehearse 
his story upon the ground. Those who repeat the in- 
cidents now to the curious stranger speak as they 
have learned from tradition, or from their study of the 
various printed accounts. The open pasture-fields 
have been closed in; the rude fences which divided 
them have given place to more frequent and more 
permanent walls of separation. The Masonic Monu- 
ment, erected so soon to mark the spot where Warren 
fell, has disappeared, and a crowded thoroughfare 
traverses its foundations. Costly mansions, school- 
houses and churches, stand where the contending 
armies trod, and commingled their blood, and buried 
their dead. The historic Charlestown has arisen like a 
phoenix from her immortal ashes, and now forms a part 



30 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 

of the great metropolis, glorying in the sacrifice of 
fire which she made at the coming of the new-born 
nation. • Within the reserved square, where the 
courageous Prescott raised, in a short summer's night, 
a formidable fortification, — a type of the nation's 
future rapid growth, — stands the Bunker Hill Monu- 
ment, towering up to the skies, and, in a majestic 
silence all its own, ever prepared to tell to succeeding 
ages what the first Centennial anniversary of the 
Battle of Bunker Hill has brought up vividly to 
the notice of this generation. 

During this Centennial year the attention of the 
whole country and of the world is turned towards 
Philadelphia, where the sentiment of the Union of 
the States was first organized in a governmental form, 
and where their Independence was not only declared, 
but made a fixed fact in history. And, as the repre- 
sentatives and peoples of all nations and tongues 
repair thither to exhibit in friendly rivalry whatever 
in Art, in Invention, and in Applied Science this pro- 
gressive age has developed for them respectively; 
and wiiile in the general greeting they, in turn, may 
curiousl}'^ examine whatever of value and of interest 
is exhibited on the part of the United States of 
America, at the completion of its first century, — 
they may be pointed to Bunker Hill as the place where 
the idea of American Independence first germinated, 
and to Boston as the Cradle of the Nation. 




Eugr aT ed brH W Smtai 



^^-^7^^S^—'^^f^-^<^i^^^^^::<^ 



k\K. 6^ 



CHAPTER III. 



Oh ! is not this a holy spot ? 

'Tis the high place of Freedom's birtl. : — 
God of our fathers ! is it not 

The holiest spot of all the eartli P 

GREAT excitement was created in 1818 b}^ the 
publication of "An Account of tlie Battle of 
Bunker Hill," by Henry Dearborn, then Major-Gen- 
eral of the United States army. It was a pamphlet 
of sixteen pages, first written for the "Port Folio," 
a popular magazine, and then published separately, 
Avith a copy of a map or plan of the battle newly dis- 
covered, which had been drawn by Henry De Ber- 
nier, of the Tenth Royal British Infantrj^, who was 
in the engagement. In this plan, as published, Dear- 
born had made certain changes. Dearborn was also 
in the battle, having command of a company raised by 
him in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and forming a 
part of Stark's regiment. Being invited by the edi- 
tor of the " Port Folio " to prepare an account of the 
battle, more than forty years after it occurred, he gave 
several interesting reminiscences of the part which 
his commander, Colonel Stark, and himself took; but, 
overlooking and slighting the doings on other paits 
of the field, he made a desperate attack upon General 



32 HISTORY OF THE 

Putnam, charging him with incapacity and cowardice. 
These reflections, coming from one who held high 
rank in the army of the United States, produced quite 
a sensation throughout the country. Colonel Daniel 
Putnam published an earnest and sharp reply in de- 
fence of his father, and Dearborn, w^ith the assistance 
of his son, Henry A. S. Dearborn, sought to sub- 
stantiate his account, b}^ procuring affidavits from 
several of the survivors of the battle. Hon. John 
Lowell also published, in the " Columbian Centinel," 
an able review of General Dearborn's statement, in 
which he stoutly defended General Putnam. 

At this juncture Daniel Webster pubhshed in 
the " JSTorth American Review " of July, 1818, an ex- 
haustive review of Dearborn's " Account," in which 
he gives a glowing description of the battle, and by 
a comparison of the various anthorities he proves 
convincingly that General Putnam did his whole duty 
on that day, and is fully entitled to the gratitude 
which his countrymen had ever felt towards him, and 
to the nnlimited confidence in his valor and discretion 
which Washington had always expressed thronghout 
his long and faithful service. At the close of his 
article, after a very severe rebuke to the spirit of 
detraction which characterized General Dearborn's 
ill-timed production, Mr. Webster says: "Let us 
remember that we have nothing more precious than 
the reputation of our distinguished men, civil or mili- 
tary, living or dead. Let us deprecate the spirit that 
depreciates merit; and let us embrace, in all its extent 
and spirit, that maxim, — full of the soundest wisdom, 



BUXKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 33 

and fit to be urged again and again, with all possible 
earnestness, — chakaoter is power." This admoni- 
tion is applicable at all times to those writers and 
speakers who, preferring to deal in censure rather 
than in joraise, are too anxious to seek victims of their 
si)ite, regardless of the fame and good name of their 
country. Putnam is an exception to the general rule, 
for his brilliant record was not questioned until this 
time, over twenty years after his decease, while, with 
most of our great public men, the case has been that 
they have been the subjects of severe animadversion 
and calumny in their lifetime, which have been suf- 
ficiently atoned for by the general praise of their 
opponents over their new-made graves. 

General William H. Sumner, who was appointed 
Adjutant-General of the Massachusetts militia by his 
Excellency Governor John Brooks, called the atten- 
tion of his Excellency to Dearborn's " Account " and 
his plan from De Bernier, and he gives the following 
statement: "The plan struck Governor Brooks as 
being erroneous, and he said to Colonel Swett and 
myself, ' Gentlemen, I have not been on to that ground 
since the battle, and if you will accompany me I will 
go there and examine it.' According to assignment, 
the Adjutant-General, and Colonel Swett, his first aide, 
met the Governor on the hill in the beginning of the 
month of June, 1818, for the purpose of examining the 
works and comparing them with Dearborn's plan. We 
went into the redoubt together. After looking about 
him and examining the ground, the Governor said: 
' Gentlemen, where is the sally-port? I do not see where 



34 HISTORY OF THE 

it was. Let us look about aud see if we can find it.' 
We found an excavation in the lines of the fort on the 
side opposite to that where we afterwards found it had 
been when the works were thrown up the night before 
the battle. 'Gentlemen,' said the Governor, ^can we 
verify this? For,' continued he, 'the fact is, the 
breastwork ran in a northerly or north-easterly direc- 
tion from the sally-port; and, if we can ascertain where 
that breastwork was, we can identify the true position 
of the sally-port.' He requested Colonel Swett and 
Major Swan (who came doAvn with the Governor 
from Medford, and whose father owned or leased 
the ground) to go several rods in a direction which 
he pointed out, then to turn and walk at right angles 
to the course they had before taken, to see if they 
could find where the old breastwork w^as, which had 
l^robably been ploughed down. The grass was high, 
and it could not be seen, until the gentlemen, wading 
the grass, came into a hollow place and ascended a 
little height, and then passed down into another hol- 
low on the other side. The gentlemen exclaimed, 
'We have found it.' Governor Brooks said: 'I 
thought you would. Let us examine a little further. 
Take the same course, and go down a short distance, 
and see if you find there the same evidences of its 
position.' They did so, and satisfied the Governor 
that they had discovered the place where the breast- 
work was built, and thus verified the fact that the 
sally-port was originally in the place where he had 
indicated it ought to be found.'' 

" It was plain to the observer," continues General 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 35 

Sumner, " that if the breastwork ran in the direction 
indicated by General Dearborn's plan, it would puzzle 
the commander to tell on which side of it his men 
should be placed, in order to defend the main position. 
Thus it appears, from Governor Brooks's recollection 
of the ground, that the plan which General Dearborn 
had published, in connection with his work impeach- 
ing General Putnam, ivas not a jjJan of the ground 
as it ivas on the 17th of tTune, when tlie battle was 
fought. The explanation of these facts is probably 
this: that Dearborn's was that of the icorTcs after the 
retreat of the jimerican forces, and the consequent 
change of the relative j^osition of the two armies." 

Thus it will be seen that the embittered controversy 
started by General Dearborn had the effect to recall 
the attention of the leading men to the great signifi- 
cance of the battle, and the importance of verifying 
its incidents. Governor Brooks was prompted to 
visit the field, which he had not trod since he there 
risked his life, a period of forty-three years, although 
he had lived all the time in the adjoining town of 
Medford, at a distance of, only five miles. Colonel 
Samuel Swett, his senior aide, from the awakening of 
public attention to the subject, with great pains and 
industry, gathered all the information from the various 
sources which could then be reached, and produced, 
in the fall of that year, his History of the Battle. The 
article of Mr. Webster, in the " JSTorth American Re- 
view," was eagerly read by all, as was every thing 
coming from him, and his earnest and clearly ex- 
pressed views became the theme of discussion in the 



36 HISTORY OF THE 

press, and in the social circle. For years befoi-e, no 
stranger visiting Boston would willingly leave with- 
out visiting Bunker Hill, and now the people living 
in its vicinity woke up of a sudden to realize to the 
full extent the immortal fame of the locality. 

While the topics of the battle were still made the 
theme of discourse and investigation, a portion of the 
land was oftered for sale. It was advertised to be 
sold at auction. 

William Tudoe, a distinguished writer and scholar, 
whose father had served as Judge Advocate during 
the Revolution, first called the attention of his friends 
and of the public to the importance of securing, not 
only this parcel that was offered for sale, but all the 
adjoining land, that the whole battle-field might be 
preserved, if possible, to posterity, and that a monu- 
ment should be erected thereon, which should be 
equal if not superior to any work of the kind in the 
world. 

Mr. Tudor was the founder, and for a considerable 
period the editor, of the " ^orth American Review," 
and, remembering the valuable contribution which Mr. 
Webster had made to that journal in relation to the 
Battle of Bunker Hill and the merits of General 
Putnam, he applied to him to assist in the undertak- 
ing. Mr. Webster gave it his most hearty approval. 
Edward Everett was next approached upon the 
subject, and he entered into it with equal interest. 

Mr. Webster had been then a resident of Boston 
for seven years, during which time he had been for the 
most part in private life. But his previous service in 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 37 

Congress as a representative from ISTew Hampshire, 
his argument in the Dartmouth College case before 
the Supreme Court of the United States, and his 
address at Plymouth, in 1820, at the Bicentennial 
Anniversary of the Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers, 
gave him a national reputation as the foremost man 
at the bar and the forum, and in popular oratory. 
He had just been elected as a representative of Bos- 
ton in Congress. Although he came to Boston with 
the determination to devote himself exclusively to 
his profession, he was obliged to yield to this impera- 
tive demand of the public. 

Mr. Everett, then at the age of twenty-eight, was 
filling the chair of Professor of Greek Literature at 
Cambridge, and was attracting large audiences to his 
public lectures; he was also a liberal contributor of 
valuable articles to the "^orth American Peview." 
The three might be said to constitute at that time a 
literar}^ and professional triumvirate, whose opinions 
would be authority not only in the social circles in 
which they figured, but with the public in general. 
They were also ardent in their patriotic devotion to 
the memory of the leaders in the American Pevolu- 
tion. 

In their desire to enlist a leading citizen of the 
wealthy classes, whose influence would be effectual to 
gain their encouragement and support, the name of 
Thomas Han^dasyd Perkins was naturally sug- 
gested. Colonel Perkins, as he was then familiarly 
called, having been a commander of the cadets, — for 



38 HISTORY OF THE 

in those days Colonel was a high title, — was a trne 
type of the merchant prince. He had retired from 
active business with what was then considered an 
ample fortune, and was engaged in works of benefi- 
cence, and in the enjoyment of refined society. He 
entered heartily into the plan proposed. 

In securing the land of Bunker Hill, and especially 
that part of it which was offered for immediate sale, 
Doctor John Collins Waeren was appealed to. He 
was the son of Doctor John "Warren, who was the 
brother of the martyr Joseph, and whom he succeeded 
in the business of his profession, with an exalted repu- 
tation. He at once embarked in the nndertaking; he 
promptly performed the part first assigned to him in 
obtaining the land offered for sale, and in various 
wajs co-operated zealously with those associated with 
him. He readilj' purchased the Russell pasture (so 
called), which was advertised for sale, containing 
about two acres and three quarters, and held it until 
a corporation could be created to take the title. 

These five gentlemen were the principal originatoi'S 
of the Bunker Hill Monument. By the happy com- 
bination of their varied powers, and by the weight of 
their social influence, they were enabled to form the 
patriotic Association which has commanded the re- 
spect of the countr}^, and is entitled to the gratitude 
and praise of succeeding generations. 

Well knowing the cfiective poAver of the festive 
board as a means of legitimate social influence. 
Colonel Perkins invited these gentlemen and about a 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 39 

dozen others to his house, for the purpose of giving a 
start to the enterprise. While seated at his bounteous 
table, the select company discussed its merits^ and 
determined to pnt it into execution. It was agreed 
that it was high time that a national monument should 
be erected in commemoration of the American Revo- 
lution and its great results, and that Bunkek Hill 
was the place of all others whereon it should stand. 
Several other gentlemen Avere named who should be 
asked to join in this undertaking. It was iBnally 
determined that early in the ensuing spring, before 
the meeting of the Legislature, measures should be 
taken to j^rocure an act of incorporation, and it was 
left with a committee to convene them, together with 
the other parties agreed npon, in season. The Legis- 
lature at that time commenced its session on the 
last Wednesday of May, which was then the begin- 
ning of the political year of the commonwealth. 

In pursuance of this understanding, the following 
notice was issued, and sent in the form of a j)rivate 
letter to the gentlemen invited (the original, in the 
handwriting of Mr. Webster, signed by him and by 
Mr. Tudor and Mr. Lyman, is still preserved) : — 

Boston, May 10, 1823. 

Dear Sir, — Some conversation having taken place last 
year on the propriety of forming an Association for the 
erection of a Monument on Bunker's Hill, in commemoration 
of the early events of the Revolution, it has seemed to us 
desirable to renew the interchange of opinion on this subject, 
and to pursue the design, as far and as fast as may be prac- 
ticable. 



40 HISTORY OF THE 

With this view, we have taken the liberty of inviting you 
to meet us and a few other gentlemen at the Exchange Coffee- 
house, on Tuesday, at twelve o'clock. 

We are, with great regard, your most obedient servants, 

Danl. Webster. 
W. Tudor. 
Theodore Lyman, Jr. 

At the time appointed, after an animated discussion, 
the following paper was adopted and signed. It is 
the agreement under which the Association was 
formed, prepared also by Mr. Webster, the original 
of which has been carefully preserved : — 

The advantages of our Revolution are daily felt by every 
American ; and, at the same time, that illustrious event is 
exciting more and more the admiration of the rest of the 
world, and an ardent desire to adopt its principles. Yet, 
glorious and beneficent as its consequences have proved to 
this nation, not a single monument worthy of being named 
has hitherto been elevated to testify public gratitude or do 
honor to national sentiment in the eyes of our own citizens 
or of strangers. 

The feeling of patriotic minds has often been excited on 
this subject, and has of late years been so frequently ex- 
pressed that the time seems to have arrived when the gen- 
erous spirit of an intelligent and prosperous community is 
fully prepared for beginning in earnest the work of estab- 
lishing a monument worthy of the citizens by whom it will 
be raised and of the cause to which it will be consecrated. 

It may be justly expected that the portion of the nation 
which so feaiiessly, resolutely, and magnanimously took the 
lead in the struggle, should also set the first example of 
erecting a monument to its fame ; and that the citizens gen- 
erally of the Eastern States would be eager to show their 
reverence for the principles and services of the civil and 
military heroes of New England. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 41 

The Field of Bunker Hill has always presented itself 
as the most suitable site for such a monument. This ground, 
which is held sacred in public estimation, is yet open ; but 
the rapid increase of population in its vicinity will soon cause 
it to be parcelled out and occupied with buildings, when the 
ashes of the brave who repose there will be dug up and 
scattered : and posterity will then loudly exclaim against the 
apathy of the generation which shall have suffered this field 
of honor to be thus violated and for ever obscured. 

From these and other considerations, the subscribers have 
associated together to obtain an act of incorporation, as a 
convenient mode of operation ; and to devise the means of 
collecting subscriptions and contributions from the public, 
and holding the same as trustees, for the purpose of deciding 
on and erecting such a monument as sliall endure to future 
ages, and be a permanent memorial, consecrated by the grat- 
itude of the present generation, to the memory of those 
statesmen and soldiers who led the way in the American 
Kevolution. 

For this purpose, we subscribe and pay the sum of five 
dollars, 

Danl. Webster. William Sullivan, 
Jesse Putnam. by Theodore Lyman, Jr. 

Joseph Story, by D. Webster. G. Ticknor, by W. Tudor. 

Edavard Everett. C. R. Codman. 

Samuel D. Harris. W. Dutton. 

Saml. Swett. L p. Davis. 

Theodore Lyman, Jr. B. Welles. 

Stephen Gorham, Jr. J. C. Warren. 

W. Tudor. G. Blake. 

T. H. Perkins, by W. Tudor. F. C. Gray. 
H. A. S. Dearborn, hy Samuel D. N. P. Russell. 

Harris. Rd. Sullivan. 

B. Gorham, by W. Tudor. Thomas Harris. 

Franklin Dexter. Seth Knowles. 

In the absence of Mr. Webstei', General Henry A. 
S. Dearborn took his place on the Committee, and 
joined with Mr. Tndor and Mr. Lyman in preparing 

6 



42 HISTORY OF THE 

and presenting the following petition to the Legis- 
lature: — 

To the Honourable the Senate and the House of Ptepresentatives of the 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in General Court assembled: — 

We, whose names are hereunto subscribed, most respect- 
fully represent, — That, feeling a deep interest in the honor 
of our country, and entertaining a grateful recollection of 
the distinguished services rendered by those patriots of the 
council and of the battle-field who boldly commenced and 
triumphantly achieved our national Independence, we are 
unwilling: that their names, or the deeds which render them 
illustrious, should pass down to future ages without a mon- 
ument having been erected, by the present generation, to 
the names of the soldiers who gloriously fell in the contest 
for freedom, and commemorative of those momentous events 
which immediately preceded, and which established numerous 
splendid epochs during the progress of the Revolution. 

If great actions, having for their object the public good ; 
if individuals, renowned for their civil or military virtues, 
have, in all ages, illumined the history and claimed the 
admiration of nations ; — if they have been decreed worthy 
of the triumphal arch, the column, the temple, or the mauso- 
leum, — what people ever had more cause thus to cherish 
the memory of their statesmen and heroes than those of the 
United States? Emerging from the war for Independence, 
we have advanced in the route of national glory with a 
rapidity unprecedented in the annals of empires ; but, during 
our cheering progress in agriculture, manufactures, commerce, 
literature, science and the arts, we appear not to have been 
sufficiently mindful of the infinite obligations we are under 
to those who braved the hardships, privations, and dangers 
of the confiict, for the boasted privileges we enjoy. No 
monument designates the ever- memorable heights of Charles- 
town, or Saratoga, the plains of Trenton, Monmouth, or 
Yorktown. No statue, not even of Washington, adorns the 
Capitol, or do his ashes repose under a national tomb. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 43 

As "the first impulse to tlie ball of the Revolution"' was 
given in the North ; as the plains of Massachusetts were first 
stained with the blood of patriots, — theee should be reared 
the FIRST PILLAR of the Republic ; and what spot more 
sacred, more appropriate, and more commanding than Bun- 
ker Hill ? The battle there fought may be considered as the 
commencement of an era more wonderful in its progress and 
important in its consequences than any which had preceded. 
There were laid the everlasting foundations of liberty ; from 
thence went forth the spirit of representative government, 
which is advancing, with the general and irresistible march 
of intelligence, round the globe. The whole human race are 
destined to venerate the names of those gallant citizens of 
New England who there breasted the temj)est of war for 
the '■'' unalienable rights of man^"" — there are we bound, by 
the principles of patriotism, gratitude, and honor, to erect a 
column, which, while it perpetuates the names of those " who 
lived in times that tried men's souls," and the ever-memo- 
rable action of the seventeenth of June^ seventeen hundred and 
seventy-five^ shall be a glorious monument of the taste and 
munificence of our country. 

Therefore, it is requested that we, together with such 
persons as may hereafter associate with us, may be consti- 
tuted a body politic and corporate, by the name of the 
" Bunker Hill Monument Association," which shall be au- 
thorized to collect money by subscriptions, and receive dona- 
tions for the purposes above stated. 



Boston, May 28, 1823. 



H. A. S. Dearborn. 
W. Tudor. 
Theodore Lyman, Jr. 

A Committee on helialf of the Associates. 



Then follow the names above given. 



It required but little comparative effort to obtain 
the passage of the following Act of Incorporation, 



44 HISTORY OF THE 

which was readily approved by His Excellency 
William Eustis, the Governor : — 

Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 

In the Year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and tic enty -three 
An act to incorporate the Bunker Hill Monument Association. 

Sec. 1. Be it enacted, by the Senate and House of Rep- 
resentatives, in General Court assembled, and by the author- 
ity of the same, That Joseph Story, Jesse Putnam, Daniel 
Webster, Edward Everett, Samuel D. Harris, Samuel Swett, 
Theodore Lyman, Jr., Stephen Gorham, Jr., Thomas H. 
Perkins, William Tudor, Henry A. S. Dearborn, Benjamin 
Gorham, Franklin Dexter, William Sullivan, George Ticknor, 
Charles R. Codman, Warren Dutton, Isaac P. Davis, Thomas 
Harris, Seth Knowles, Benjamin Welles, John C. Warren, 
George Blake, and Francis C. Gray, their associates and 
successors, be and they are hereby made a body politic and 
corporate, by the name of the " Bunker Hill Monument Asso- 
ciation," with all the powers, and subject to all the duties, 
of aggregate corporations, and for the purposes herein after 
named. 

Sec. 2. Be it further enacted. That said corporation shall 
have power to take and hold, by gift, grant, or devise, such 
real and personal estate and property as may be necessary or 
convenient to promote the object of the incorporation, — the 
construction of a monument in Charlestown to perpetuate 
the memor}^ of the early events of the American Revolution. 

Sec. 3. Be it further enacted, That the said Henry A. S. 
Dearborn, William Tudor, and Theodore Lyman, Jr., or any 
two of them, may call the first meeting of said corporation, 
by giving three days' previous notice in two public news- 
papers printed in Boston; at which, or at any subsequent 
meeting, the said corporation may choose such officers, agents, 
and trustees as they may think proper, and establish such 
by-laws and regulations for their own government and the 
management of their concerns, not repugnant to the laws 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 45 

and constitution of this Commonwealth, as they may deem 
necessary, and the same may modify and annul at pleasure. 
Sec. 4. Be it further enacted, That said corporation may, 
at any time after said monument shall be completed, assign 
and transfer the same, with the land on which it stands, and 
the appurtenances, to the Commonwealth ; and that the 
Commonwealth will accept the same, provided that the 
Commonwealth shall not thereby become liable for debts 
contracted by said corporation. 

Approved by the Governor, June 7, 1823. 

Copy. A. Bradford, 

/ Secretary of Commomvealth. 

The parchment upon which the act is engrossed 
bears the signatures of William C. Jarvis, Speaker of 
the House, and Nathaniel Silsbee, President of the 
Senate, as well as that of the Governor. 

The requisite notice was given, by the gentlemen 
named in the third section, by publication in the 
"Boston Daily Advertiser'' and the "Boston Pa- 
triot," on the 10th of June, and, on the 13th of June, 
the first meeting was held at the Exchange Coffee 
House, at which it was voted to accept the act, and 
to form a corporation under the provisions thereof. 
The meeting was adjoui'ned to the 17th June, when 
by-laws were adopted, and the following officers were 
chosen : John Brooks, President; Thos. H. Perkins 
and Joseph Story, Vice-Presidents; William Tudor, 
Secretary; Nath'l P. Pussell, Treasurer; and Daniel 
"Webster, Henry A. S. Dearborn, Benjamin Gorham, 
George Blake, John C. Warren, Samuel D. Harris, 
Jesse Putnam, Isaac P. Davis, Seth Knowles, Edward 



46 HISTORY OF THE 

Everett, George Ticknor, Franklin Dexter, and Theo- 
dore Lyman, Jr., Directors. A Committee of Corre- 
spondence was chosen, consisting of William Tudor, 
Richard Sullivan, and Francis C. Gray. These were 
kindred spirits, all gentlemen of culture and high 
character, and qualified to lead and adorn the most 
polished society. 

The by-laws prescribed the duties of the different 
officers, fixed upon the Seventeenth of June as the 
day of holding the Annual Meeting, authorized the 
Directors to elect twelve additional Directors, mak- 
ing the whole number twenty-five, and gave them full 
power to purchase the land and erect the monument, 
requiring the plan to be submitted to the Corporation. 
This provision seems to have been subsequently 
overlooked; except, perhaps, as the approval of the 
Corporation was not declared to be requisite, the 
report of the doings of the Directors, including the 
adoption of the plan, might have been deemed a suffi- 
cient compliance. 

Twenty-five gentlemen were elected members: 
namely, Amos Lawrence, David Sears, Patrick T. 
Jackson, IN^athan Hale, Benjamin Kussell, Edward 
Brooks, John D. Williams, Jonathan Pinllips, Augus- 
tus Thorndike, of Boston; Nathaniel Silsbee, Lever- 
ett Salstonstall, Henry Pickering, of Salem; Joseph 
Hurd, of Charlestown; Levi Lincoln, of Worcester; 
Henry H. Childs, of Pittsfield; Joseph Lyman, Elijah 
H. Mills, of Northampton ; Samuel Dana, of Groton; 
Bezaleel Taft, of Uxbridge; Caleb Gushing, of New- 
buryport; Josiah J. Fiske, of Wrentham; Thomas 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 1 47 

Rotch, of 'New Bedford; John Reed, of Barnstable; 
Francis Baylies, of Taunton; and Barnabas Hedge, 
of Plymouth. 

Five dollars was established as the fee of Member- 
ship. 

The following circular letter was addressed to 
prominent men of the country by the Committee of 
Correspondence, who commenced their labors imme- 
diately : — 

Boston, July, 1823. 

Sir, — The undersii);ned, a committee in behalf of the 
Bunker Hill Monument Association, have the honor to ad- 
dress you in regard to the object of said Association, incorpo- 
rated at tlie last session of our legislature. 

It is intended to elevate on Bunker Hill, which fortunately 
is still partly open ground, a simple, majestic, lofty, and per- 
manent monument, which shall carry down to remote ages a 
testimony, consecrated by the patriotism of the present gen- 
eration, to the heroic virtue and courage of those men who 
began and achieved the independence of their country. It 
is proposed that this monument shall contain the names and 
dates of all the distinguished characters and events which 
originated in New England ; that it shall comprise, in one 
noble and commanding plan, all the separate merits which 
have, on various occasions, been proposed to be thus hon- 
ored ; in fine, that it shall be a monument dedicated to the 
Kevolutionary glory which belongs to this portion of the 
Union. It shall be a structure worthy of the cause, worthy 
of the men, and worthy of the results these have produced. 
As the struijole beiran with us, Ave should take the lead in 
thus celebrating it ; and what spot can be more suitable — 
possessed as it is of conspicuous natural advantages, and 
rendered sacred by its recollections — than the ground where 
the first battle was fought, — where our appeal was made ir- 
revocable, and sealed in blood? All the States which now 



48 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 

form the Eastern division of the Union have a similar interest 
in this cause : they each sent their brave citizens to take part 
in this same battle; and each produced great men, whose 
names w^ill be inscribed on the monument. We presume, 
therefore, that, from all parts of them, voluntary offerings 
may be expected to aid this enterprise. In this State, we 
propose, through committees in each town, to make an appeal 
to every individual, and to receive the smallest donation 
that may be offered ; believing that the design must be ef- 
fected by a universal contribution of small sums, rather than 
by a few subscriptions of great amount, though we are not 
without expectation that some of our wealthy and public- 
spirited men may subscribe liberally to the undertaking. 
The separate contributions of each State and town will be 
carefully noted ; and we intend to record, in a volume to be 
deposited in the monument, the name of every person who 
ffives to the amount of a dollar. 

o 

We have addressed a letter to the Governor of your State, 
and have oiven him the names of the few o-entlemen men- 
tioned below, to whom we have also written. We solicit 
your sanction and your efforts in a cause which is to honor 
the past and the present, and excite emulation in the future. 

We remain, respectfully, your obedient servants, 

W. Tudor. 

Rd. Sullivan. 
F. C. Gkat. 

Thus sprang into legal existence the Bunker Hill 
Monument Association, by whose means the most 
interesting part of the historic battle-ground of 
America has been preserved for the grateful admi- 
ration and tribute of the lovers of liberty throughout 
the world in all coming time. 




ambardfciia Fuiil 



t?^i- 



a^. 



e^^ . cy^/^ / -t 



■' ^ yc^: ■> ^ 



'^ 







CHAPTER IV. 

Join we together for the public good. 

JOHN BROOKS, who was elected the first Presi- 
dent of the Bunker Hill Monument Association, 
was a hero of the Revolutionary period, and continued 
to show his unselfish devotion to his native town of 
Medford, to his State and his country, during his 
protracted life. He was an influential friend of 
Washington, and received from him while President 
the appointment of Marshal of the District of Massa- 
chusetts. Upon the occasion of the lamented decease 
of Washington he pronounced before the inhabitants 
of Medford an eloquent eulogy. He was a firm sup- 
porter of public order and the authority of law, and 
gave his efiicient aid in the suppression of Shays's 
Rebellion. He was an esteemed friend of Lafayette, 
and it was his good fortune to extend to the Nation's 
guest a cordial reception and welcome, in which his 
fellow-townsmen heartily joined. When elected Pres- 
ident of the Association, he had just retired from the 
oflB.ce of Governor of the Commonwealth, which he 
had held for seven years, his successor, Governor 
Eustis, having been inaugurated June 4, 1823. 
Dr. John C. Warren and Col. Samuel D. Harris, 

7 



50 HISTORY OF THE 

who were appointed a Committee to inform him of 
his election and to request his acceptance, reported, 
June 30, that he Avas pleased to say, " that the object 
of the Corporation had been a desirable one in his 
mind, that he felt a strong interest in its success, and 
that he accepted with pleasure the oflfice of President 
to which he had been elected." He was re-elected at 
the Annual Meeting in 1824; but it does not appear 
by the records, or by any report or letter in existence, 
that he attended any meeting, or acted upon any com- 
mittee, although it is highly probable that he might 
have informally conferred with the officers of the Cor- 
poration, and given them his advice or some important 
suggestion. He was connected with Mr. Everett by 
marriage, and probably had conferred with him on 
the subject. The only real service which he appears to 
have rendered the Corporation is his valued indorse- 
ment of its objects by lending at the start his great 
and venerated name. He died in his native town, 
Medford, March 1, 1825, at the age of seventy-three 
years. 

The Corporation was remarkably fortunate in the 
selection of its Treasurer, who was the only one of its 
original members who filled the same office during* his 
life and imtil after the completion of the great wort. 
In the promptness, accuracy, and skill Avith which he 
discharged the manifold and perplexing duties of his 
office, he was alike distinguished. 

Nathaniel Pope Russell was descended from a 
fsuuily of that name, settled in Boston since 1680, 
and evidently of a different origin from the Charles- 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 51 

town family. His first ancestor in this country was 
the Rev. John Russell, Jr., pastor of the First Bap- 
tist Church, who had come from England with his 
father ^^I'evious to 1642. Mr. Russell was born in 
Danvers, Mass., August 15, 1779, during the tempo- 
rary residence of his father in that town, but was 
educated and always lived in Boston. 

He received a mercantile training with Stephen 
Fales, a merchant of respectability, and was after- 
wards employed as secretary by Peter C Brooks, in 
the private underwriting office, now incorporated as 
the Boston Insurance Company. In 1803, Mr. Brooks 
retired from the office, and was succeeded by Mr. 
Russell, who continued it till near 1820. Having 
then acquired a competency, Mr. Russell withdrew 
from active business, and devoted the remainder of 
his life to the service of various public and private 
charities and trusts. The most prominent among 
these was the Treasurership of this Association, to 
which he devoted twenty-five years of earnest and 
valuable service. He was also for many years Treas- 
m-er of the Massachusetts General Hospital, and of 
the West Boston Religious Society, under the pas- 
toral care of Rev. Dr. Lowell, besides having twice 
been a member of the City Grovernment, and a Rep- 
resentative and Senator in the Massachusetts Legis- 
lature, but declined being a candidate for Ma3^or. 

Mr. Russell was a kind-hearted, helpful man, always 
ready to contribute his assistance or advice to those 
who needed either. Perhaps, after Solomon Wil- 
LARD, no member was more useful to the Association. 



52 HISTORY OF THE 

"William Tuclor, who originated the sublime con- 
ception of erecting a superb National Monument, was 
placed in the responsible office of Secretary, and 
also upon the Committee of Correspondence. The 
duties of both positions were congenial to his taste, 
and he performed them with alacrity while he re- 
mained at home; but he was soon called abroad in 
the service of the ]S[ational Government, at first as 
Consul at Lima, and afterwards as Charge d' Affaires 
at Brazil. 

Mr. Webster was at the head of the list of Di- 
rectors, and he presided at the meetings of the 
Directors in the absence of the President and Vice- 
Presidents. 

Among the replies to the notices of the Secretary 
to those who were elected members is the following 
from Hon. Caleb Cushing, which was sent with his 
usual promptness: — ' 

Newburyport, July 2, 1823. 
William Tudor, Esq. 

Sir, — I am much obliged to you, and the other members 
of the Association which j^ou represent, for the favor you do 
me in electing me into your number, and shall gladly do all 
in my power to further its objects when they shall be more 
fully communicated to me. Enclosed is my payment to the 
treasury. 

Your most obedient servant, 

C. Gushing. 

The venerable Mr. Potch, though belonging to the 
Society of Friends, did not hesitate to send the fol- 
lowing acceptance : — 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 53 

New Bedford, July 9, 1823. 

My dear Sir, — Your note of 5th inst., informing me tliat 
1 have been chosen a member of the Bunker Hill Monument 
Association, was received in due course. For this mark of 
the partiality of my friends, I beg leave, through you, to 
offer my best acknowledgments, and to assure them that, at 
all times, I shall be ready to devote my feeble exertions to 
the discharge of those duties which may be incumbent on its 
members. 

With great respect, your obedient servant, 

Thomas Rotch. 

I enclose you five dollars, the amount paid by each mem- 
ber. 

The gallant son of General Putnam, who himself 
served with his father as Aide in the Revolutionary 
War, was not overlooked by the Committee, to whose 
letter he replied as follows : — 

Brooklyn, 16th August, 1823. 
To W. Tudor, R. Sullivan, and F. C. Gray, Esquires. 

Gentlemen, — I have not, until this evening, received your 
letter, without date, but post-marked the 5th of a month not 
legible. 

I had previously been informed of the Association whose 
organ you are, and of its object ; and it will hardly be neces- 
sary for me to assure you that such co-operation as may be 
within my power shall be most cheerfully rendered. But I 
am growing an old man : my health, in its best state, will not 
admit of much personal exertion ; and the interruptions of it 
are so frequent as to confine me mostly at home. I iiitend, 
however, if not prevented by circumstances beyond my con- 
trol, to visit Boston in the month of October ; and, should I 
be able to fulfil this intention, it will give me pleasure to 
confer with the committee on the subject. 

I am respectfully, gentlemen, your most obedient servant, 

D. Putnam. 



54 HISTORY OF THE 

Hon. Levi Woodbury gave his views to the Com- 
mittee in this wise : — 

Portsmouth, Aug. 7, 1823. 
W. Tudor, R. Sullivan, and F. C. Gray, Esquires. 

Gentlemen, — I have received your pohte communication 
concernins" a monument on Bunker Hill. 

The success of a subscription in this State will depend 
much upon the time and manner of commencing it. Pre- 
vious to the 4th of July would have been the most favorable 
period for this purpose. Whether it would now be advisable 
to delay it till another of our national festivals deserves con- 
sideration ; and your opinions on that point might be service- 
able to us. Inconveniences may attend the delay, of which 
we are not aware. 

I will, soon as may be, confer with some of the gentlemen 
in this State whom you have designated, and give every aid 
to the cause which my means and leisure may permit. 

With high consideration and respect, your most obedient 
servant, 

L. Woodbury. 

In 1824, Mr. Everett was placed on the Committee 
of Correspondence, to fill the vacancy occasioned by 
the departure from the country of Mr. Tudor. Frank- 
lin Dexter was made Secretary of the Corporation. 
The Directors, July 27, appointed a Standing- Com- 
mittee of five to manage the af!\iirs of the Corporation, 
with authority to call a meeting of the Directors when 
needful to consult them. Mr. Everett Avas made Sec- 
retary of this Committee, and the next year was made 
Secretary of the Corporation, and Mr. Dexter was 
put in his place as Director. 

The Committee called a meeting of the Directors 
on September 3, at which it was voted that the Com- 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 55 

mittee should be authorized to increase the number 
of the associates in such manner and to such extent 
as might seem to them best adapted to promote the 
ends of the Association. They Avere advised to give 
pubhc notice that all persons who should subscribe 
five dollars should become members of the Asso- 
ciation. At this meeting" it was deemed best to 
secure to the Association the full benefit of clergy, 
as it was voted that all the clergymen of 'New 
England should be made honorary members. This 
vote, however, was never carried out, and none of the 
clei'gy were ever made honorary members under it. 

The first money which the Treasurer received, 
other than the initiation fees of the origijial members, 
was acknowledged in the following official note to 
the Secretary : — 

Boston, Nov. 5, 1824. 

Dear Sir, — The Hon. John Wells, as Treasurer of the 
Washington Benevolent Society, has transferred to the 
Bunker Hill Monument Association a certificate for nineteen 
hundred dollars, of the seven per cent stock of the United 
States, and has given to me an order for the banners or flags 
of that Society, which I believe are dej)Osited in tlie uj)per 
story of Faneuil Hall. 

I remain, respectfullj^, your obedient servant, 

Natha^j^iel p. Russell, 

Treasurer Bunker Hill Monument Association. 
Prof. Edward Everett, Secretary Bunker Hill Monument Association. 

This Society, established in honor of Washington, 
having found it inexpedient to keep up its organi- 
zation, determined that the best disposition it could 



56 HISTORY OF THE 

make of its funds and other proj^erty would be to 
appropriate it towards the erection of a National 
Monument in commemoration of the American Revo- 
lution, the happy issue of which was due, under Divine 
Providence, to his matchless leadership. The only 
condition attached to the donation was that the Asso- 
ciation should pay annually, for five years, thirty dol- 
lars to the Washington Artillery, for firing a salute 
on the 22d of February, Washington's birthdaj^, — 
which was done. 

The following letter of Dr. Warren indicates the 
familiar and social manner in which they would occa- 
sionally meet to discuss the important questions brought 

up before them : — 

Boston, Jan. 5, 1825. 

Dear Sir, — It would have gratified me to meet the Com- 
mittee on the Monument, according to Gen. Dearborn's wish, 
in the morning ; but you are aware that I am, at this season, 
called on to consume nearly three hours of that part of the 
day in lectures, &c., every day ; which, with the ordinary 
calls of my j)rofession, is more business than I can meet. In 
fact, the Avhole of my time by day is occupied at this season. 
I will not ask an evening meeting, but will agree to give an 
afternoon next week to the business ; or, considering Gen. 
D.'s residence in the countrj^, with other things, I propose 
that the committee should have a dinner together, at the 
INIarlboro' Hotel, at 2 or half-past 2, some day next weeiv 
except Tuesday ; and that this be at the expense of the cor- 
poration, unless gentlemen prefer paying. 

This is my project, and, if it meets favor, I propose to you 
to issue notices therefor ; and, on hearing from you to this 
effect, I will order a comfortable dinner, together with a 
small quantity of the best wine that can be procured, in 
order to assist our reflections on the Monument. 



BUXKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 57 

It is quite necessary, if we mean to do any business, to get 
the treasurer's reports before meeting. 

I had a conference with his Excellency, who has a hand- 
some notice of our plans in his speech. 

Very faithfully yours, 

JoHiT C. Warren. 

E. Everett, Esq. 

If the time proposed is not sufficiently early, please to order 
a meeting whenever it suits Gen. D., and without reference 
to me. 

As a matter of fact, however, the g-entlemen pre- 
ferred to dine at their own expense. There are sev- 
eral notes and memoranda referring to other dinners 
at meetings of the Committee with some of the Di- 
rectors, at the Exchange, the Subscription House, and 
the Park House, but in all cases at their own ex- 
pense. The highest price one paid was $1.84. Happy 
days those of the olden time! Occasionally they were 
entertained by some member of the Committee. Par- 
ticular mention is made of an agreeable dinner at Mr. 
Russell's the Treasurer, and one at Mr. Webster's, in 
Summer Street. 

The " handsome notice," referred to by Dr. Warren 
as forthcoming from Governor Eustis, was a part of 
his address to the Legislature, January 24, 1825. 
The Governor said: — 

" The erection of a Monument on Bunker's Hill is 
another work of a public nature, in which our fellow- 
citizens have taken a great interest. For this purpose 
an Act of Incorporation was granted, and it is believed 
that adequate funds will be raised by voluntary sub- 
scription. I recommend a revision of the Act, that 



58 HISTORY OF THE 

two conditions may be added: first, that a plan or 
model be snbmitted to the Legislature for their appro- 
bation previous to the construction of the Monument; 
and, secondly, that, when it is completed, it shall 
revert to the Commonwealth. Should the funds 
prove insufficient for the completion of such a work 
as is worthy of the occasion and becoming the char- 
acter of the State, 1 do not pei'mit myself to doubt 
that aid will be afforded by an enlightened Legis- 
lature. 

" To commemorate one of the principal events of 
the Kevolution; to consecrate the field in Massachu- 
setts, on which, in the first stages of the war, our 
heroes and statesmen sealed with their blood the 
principles they had sworn to maintain ; where a dis- 
ciplined enemy received from a hardy, untutored 
yeomanry a lesson which produced the most bene- 
ficial consequences through the whole of the Revo- 
lutionary War, — is worthy the care of the patriot 
and statesman. The splendid column on Bunker 
Hill will unite principles with history, patriotism wdth 
glory. It will be read by all ; its moral will strike 
deep in the heart, and leave an indelible imj^ression 
on the mind. The trust is too sacred, the work too 
important, to rest exclusively in the charge of indi- 
viduals; it should be a common property, in which 
every citizen should have a right; as it will be the 
pride, it should also be the property, of the Common- 
wealth." 

Governor Eustis, however, did not live to see his 
recommendations acted upon. He died a few days 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 59 

after the delivery of his address, February 6, 1825. 
He was succeeded by the Lieutenant-Governor, Mar- 
cus Morton, who occupied the Chair of State until 
June 8, when Levi Lincohi was first inaugurated as 
Governor. Governor Eustis served as surgeon in 
the Battle of Bunker Hill, and he was made an hon- 
orary member of the Association. He felt strongly 
the importance of designing a Monument which 
should be worthy of the approval and the adoption 
of the State, even looking at the probable contin- 
gency of the State's being called upon to finish it. 
He expressed in a letter his detei*mination to subscribe 
to the object after the session of the Legislature j but 
his benevolent purpose was left unfulfilled, as is too 
often the case with many who postpone too late the 
execution of their good intentions. 

The Committee employed much time in selecting 
the leading men of the State and of the country for 
active or honorary membership, and Mr. Everett, in 
his careful and elegant manner, forwarded the notices, 
accompanied generally with a note of explanation. 
Dr. William E. Channing gave in his reply a good 
reason for declining : — 

Dear Sir, — I have such a consciousness that I should be 
an inefficient member of the Bunker Hill Monument Associa- 
tion, that I feel as if I should do wisely to decline the election 
with which I have been honored. I accepted a similar ap- 
pointment for the Washington Monument, and, am sorry to 
say, did nothing. 

Very truly your friend and servant, 

W. E. Channing. 

Boston, Sept. U, 1821. 



60 HISTORY OF THE 

The responses which came back varied from the 
highest tone of encouragement to the frank expression 
of great doubt as to the success of the effort, and 
even to a stm-dy and bold disapproval of the measure. 
iN^othing could better illustrate the different shades 
of feeling of the time, and the courage, resolute and 
persistent, of the promoters of the great patriotic 
object, than a selection from these responses. 

Professor Silliman, of Yale College, writing from 
Hartford, expressed his views of the way to collect 
money for the object in Connecticut: — 

Haktford, Jan. 20, 1825. 

Deae, Sir, — After receiving your letter of November 10, 
I conversed with some of our principal gentlemen respecting 
the practicability of executing the views of your committee. 
It was their opinion that, although something might be done 
with individuals, it would be difficult to get up any general 
excitement on the subject ; and I could not find a person 
willing to undertake the management of the affair. I am 
sorry to say this, as perhaps it does not redound much to our 
honour." Still, I am of opinion, with the gentlemen whom I 
consulted, that, if an agent is going around to call on indi- 
viduals, that there are many scattered through our towns 
who would give their five dollars and their ten dollars, and 
some more ; but I believe it would be requisite to send some 
one to call on them at their houses. 

I remain, dear sir, very truly and respectfully yours, 

B. Silliman. 

Kev. Prof. Everett. 

Judge White, of Salem, thought that the scheme, 
though highly laudable, was far beyond any hope of 
its being accomplished by individual effort: — 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 61 

Salem, Sept. 24, 1824. 

Dear Sir, — I have to acknowledge the receipt of your 
favor, informing me that I have been elected a member of the 
Bunker Hill Monument Association. This is an honor of 
which I am duly sensible, and which I should feel no dispo- 
: sition to decline, if my acceptance of it be not considered as 
a pledge of active and efficient exertions in promoting the 
highly laudable object of the Association ; for such a pledge, 
I fear, it would not be in my power to redeem. I should 
delight to see this object accomplished by the aid of the gov- 
ernment, or the spontaneous contributions of opulent indi- 
viduals ; but I could not feel the same freedom in soliciting 
pecuniary aid for it as for some other less splendid, but more 
immediately useful and necessary, public objects. 

With great respect and regard, I have the honor to be your 
obedient servant, 

D. A. White. 

Eev. Edward Everett, Sec. of Board Directors. 

On the contrary, Mr. Knapp, a popular writer and 
lecturer, was enthusiastic in his faith that it would 
succeed : — 

Dear Sir, — I have received the notice of m}^ being elected 
a member of the Bunker Hill Monument Association, and 
also your polite note of the 8th instant. The object of the 
Association is near my heart ; and I am happ}'' to see men of 
talents, enterprise, and perseverance, and these men exten- 
sively known, engaged in the cause. There cannot be the 
least doubt of complete success. The fulness of time has 
come for the event ; but no efforts of mine, however humble, 
shall be wanting to impress upon the minds of my friends the 
utility and glory of the undertaking. I hope there will be 
no reason for delaying the commencement of the work be- 
yond the time contemplated, as the heroes of '75 are falling 
like the leaves of the season around us, and all of them will 
soon be gone. 



62 HISTORY OF THE 

With liigli consideration and respect, I am jowv obedient 
and humble servant, 

Saml. L. Knapp. 

E. Everett, Esq. 
Oct. 12, 1821. 

Mr. Peck believed in the scheme, as tending to 
purify politics: — 

Salem, Sept. 20, 1821. 

Sir, — I received j'onr favor of the 8th inst., informing me 
of my being elected a member of the Bunker Hill Monument 
Association. There are few pursuits in which I should en- 
gage with more pleasure than in the furtherance of the 
objects of this Association. The corruption of partisan 
leaders renders it peculiarly important, at this moment, that 
as frequent recurrence as possible, direct and indirect, should 
be had to the feelings and principles of the American Revolu- 
tion. The Association shall have all the little aid and influ- 
ence in ni}- power in carrying into effect the designs of the 
incorporation. 

I am, with great respect, your obedient servant, 

WiLLARD Peck. 

Professor Everett, Secretary, &c. 

Was there ever a time in the history of our countiy 
when somebody did not raise the cry of "Corruption" 
among our rulers? This is doubtless the eternal 
vigilance by which our liberties are sustained. 

A citizen of South Carolina, and a graduate of 
Harvard College, promised his co-operation : — 

Charlkstox, Feb. 7, 1825. 

My DEAR Sir, — It afforded me sincere pleasure to be fa- 
vored with 3'our communications relating to the Banker Hill 
Monument, which I lost no time in making known to the 
gentlemen of New England resident here, as well as to all 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 63 

others friendly to tlie honorable iindertaldng. We are col- 
lecting subscriptions, in pursuance of the proceedings at a 
public meeting, which you have probably seen in the news- 
papers ; and calculate, with great confidence, to get one hun- 
dred subscribers at five dollars each. I am, therefore, desired 
to request you to transmit to me one hundred certificates ; if 
any of which shall remain unused, such shall be returned to 
you. But of this latter contingency I feel no fear. 

I pray you to return my most sincere thanks to the Direc- 
tors of the Association for their complimentary selection of 
me as their organ on this interesting occasion, and to assure 
them of my cordial co-operation in their praiseworthy views. 
We are in hopes of sending on to you, at the anniversary, 
one of our respectable citizens, who had the good fortune to 
be present, in command of a field-piece, on the day of the 
battle. 

With my best wishes for all that concerns you, I remain, 
dear sir, your obliged friend and servant, 

William Ceafts. 

Professor Eveeett. 

Another citizen of that State expressed his ap- 
proval : — 

S. C, Golden Gkove P.O., June 2, 1825. 

Sir, — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of 
yours of the 12th of April last (which only came to hand a 
few days since). I should not do justice to my own feelings 
were I not to acknowledge the honor conferred in being 
elected a member of the Bunker Hill Monument Association. 
It has, and I trust will always, afford me great pleasure to be 
associated with my fellow-citizens in perpetuating events as 
highly interesting to American freedom as the memorable 
battle at Bunker's Hill. 

Respectfully, your obedient servant, 

John Wilson. 



64 HISTORY OF THE 

A Biographer in 'New Hampshire thought the pro- 
posed Monument unnecessary, inasmuch as the lives 
of distinguished men could be wi'itten, which would 
make, in his view, better monuments : — 

Epping, N.H., April 5, 1825. 

Sir, — By the mail of yesterday I received your letter of 
the 22d ultimo, informing me that I was elected an honorary 
member of the Bunker Hill Monument Association, and re- 
questing my answer whether I would accept the appoint- 
ment. 

A considerable portion of my life has been, and still is, 
devoted to raising a monument to the memory of those who 
contributed their aid in effecting our deliverance from foreign 
domination, and laying a foundation for the freest and best 
government that exists. The monument the Association 
propose to build will be expensive and splendid, and of the 
hardest and most durable granite ; but mine will be the work 
of an unassuming biographer, and, instead of imperishable 
stone, will consist of fragile paper, bearing the impression of 
types. I mention these facts to show that I am friendly to 
erecting what I consider the most useful monuments to the 
memory of departed worth, and to incite men of other times 
to serve their country. 

Without deciding the question, whether the time and 
money, that must necessarily be expended in raising the 
monument the Association propose, could be more usefully 
appropriated in improving the state and condition of our 
coLintrj^ and in ameliorating the wants and sufferings of 
humanity, I must decline the honor of being considered a 
member of the Bunker Hill Monument Association. 

I am respectfully, sir, your obedient, 

William Plumer. 

Edwaud Everett, Esq., Secretary of the Standing Committee of the 
Bunker Hill Monument Association, Boston, Mass. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 65 

It remained for Caleb Stark to denounce the pro- 
posed Monument, because Congress had not dealt 
justly with the Revolutionary soldiers, — of which 
number he was one : — 

Pembroke, April 10, 1825. 

Sir, — Your circular of 22d ult., on the subject of the 
Bunker Hill Monument, arrived at maturity, but found me 
extremely debilitated by a severe fever, or you would have 
had a prompt answer ; and, although extremely emaciated, I 
seize upon the earliest moment of abiUty to give you my 
determination. 

In the first instance, I never was very partial to societies, 
never having been a member of but two in my life, — one of 
them of a transient character, which has long since passed 
off ; the other of a permanent character, where I still remain. 
But, whatever m}' inclination would have led me to in other 
cases, I have powerful national objections to the adoption of 
this project, for the following reasons : First, those who made 
this notable stand on this sanguinary hill have almost all 
passed to those shades where miHtary honors are not more 
highly appreciated than they have been in the United States ; 
secondly, the actors in this bloody scene (the Revolutionary 
War), after having performed their part in a manner perhaps 
unparalleled in ancient or modern history, were refused by 
the government the rewards that were so solemnly promised 
in the hour of the most critical danger : and, while the gov- 
ernment has found ways and means to satisfy all other legal 
and many illegal demands, they still continue a deaf ear to 
the crying demands for justice claimed by the disbanded 
officer and soldier. And now, sir, in room of giving them 
the bread that was solemnly promised, the debt is to be paid 
by a stone ! ! It is not to be denied, that, after a lapse of 
forty years, fourteen thousand of the soldiers who were State 
paupers have been transferred to the United States ; but the 
utmost care has been taken to preclude all others from the 
just claims due by the high national compact on the one side, 

9 



66 HISTORY OF THE 

and the discharged soldier on the other. These considera- 
tions have induced me to think that it would redound more 
to the honor of this rising, powerful nation to obliterate every 
vestisfe of the Revolution rather than have such a foul stain 
of ingratitude and injustice coupled with the heroic deeds, 
privations, and sufferings of the authors of the Revolution. 

I pray you to tender my most grateful thanks to the com- 
mittee for the honor of their election, and regret that the 
circumstances will not allow me to join the Association. 

With considerations of the highest respect and personal 
esteem, I have the honor to be your obedient servant, 

Caleb Staek. 

Edward Everett, Esq. 

But the Governor of ]^ew Hampshire took a differ- 
ent view of the matter, as his letter testifies : — 

GoFFSTOWN, N. H., May 23, 1825. 
Hon. Edward Everett. 

Sir, — I take this opportunity to acknowledge the receipt 
of two letters from you, by which I am informed that I have 
been elected an honorary member of the Bunker Hill Monu- 
ment Association, and also one of the Board of Directors, for 
which you will present my thanks to that body. It would 
be peculiarly gratifying to me to attend the Anniversary of 
the Seventeenth of June ; but the sitting of our legislature 
at that time will preclude the possibility of my enjojdng the 
occasion. I enclose a small sum, $20.00, for the benefit of 
the object ; and it would have been pleasant to have mani- 
fested more liberality, had my present circumstances rendered 
it convenient. 

I am with great respect your most obedient and very 
humble servant, 

David Laweence Moeeil. 

Nehemiah Hubbard, of Middletown, Connecticut, 
conscientiously declined the appointment of honorary 
member in the following language : " Being now in 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 67 

the seventy-fourth year of my age, I feel it a duty 
I cannot dispense with, to use my inflaence and pecu- 
niary means to objects, in my opinion, more useful to 
mankind." 

Governor Wolcott, of Connecticut, was, however, 
desirous that his State should contribute to it: — 

Hartford, June 2, 1825. 

Sir, — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of 
your letter of the 10th of April, 1825, with information that 
I have been elected a member of the Board of Directors of 
the Bunker Hill Monument Association. In accepting the 
honorable trust which has thus been conferred on me, I 
regret that it is not in my power to render more efficient aid 
to the patriotic Association of which the Board have consti- 
tuted me a member. 

After a consultation in this place, agreeably to the promise 
made in ray letter of March 26, I was advised to leave the 
contributions from this State to the voluntary aids of indi- 
viduals, without any public solicitation on my part. I have 
since seen Mr. Hale ; and I trust that he will succeed in ob- 
taining a sum which, though inferior to what is desirable, 
may yet be worthy of your acceptance. 

I have the honor to be, respectfully, sir, your obedient 
servant, 

Oliver Wolcott. 

Hon. Edward Everett, Esq., Cambridge, Mass. 

A Bostonian in Paris expressed' his desire to pro- 
mote the object: — 

Paris, 26 November, 1825. 
Edward Everett, Esq., Boston. 

Dear Sir, — A press of business has prevented me sooner 
acknowledging the receipt of your letter, by which you an- 
nounce to me my election as a member of the Bunker Hill 
Association. 



68 HISTORY OF THE 

I beg to assure you, sir, that I accept this appointment 
with sentiments of great respect; and I feel much gratifica- 
tion at knowing that my name is associated witli those who 
are taking means to perpetuate the remembrance of an event 
which marked the destinies of the nation. 

I shall use my endeavors to increase the number of sub- 
scribers by applying to the Americans who may be in Paris. 
At present, I am requested by Mr. Ebenezer May to cause 
his- name to be added ; and you will receive from my friend, 
Mr. J. C. Brown, the amount of his subscription. 

I am, dear sir, with great respect, your obedient, humble 
servant, 

Tho. W. Stoeeow. 

Mr. Somerville, a prominent citizen of Maryland, 
who was about to represent the country as Charge 
d' Affaires at the Swedish Court, sent his acceptance 
and good wishes : — 

Baltibioee, Aug. 23, 1825. 

SiK, — I regret that your letter of the 29th of March has 
only just been received. It reached ni}' residence in Virginia 
whilst I was in Philadelphia, and by accident was not for- 
warded to me during my illness at Bedford. 

I beg you to express my thanks to the Standing Committee 
of the Bunker Hill Monument Association for the honor they 
did me in electing me an honorary member of that institu- 
tion. I am apprehensive, however, that my acceptance of 
the compliment is too late, as the celebration of your jubilee 
is passed. If not, I shall be gratified to learn whether the 
articles of your Association impose any particular duties on 
its honorary members. I am on the eve of embarking from 
New York for Europe ; and, after my departure, any com- 
munication under cover to the Secretary of State will prob- 
ably reach me, either before or after my arrival at Stockholm. 

With the highest respect, sir, I have the honor to be your 
obedient servant, 

Wm. C. Someeville. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 69 

Governor James Pleasants, of Yirginia, accepted 
honorary membership, with appropriate words of en- 
couragement : — 

Richmond, 13th June, 1825. 

Sir, — Your letter, dated as long ago as the 12th April, 
reached this place in due course of mail. I was on a visit to 
the country at tlie time ; and it by accident got out of j)lace, 
and escaped my observation till a day or two past. I accept, 
sir, with great pleasure, the honor of membership conferred 
on me by the Standing Committee of the Bunker Hill Monu- 
ment Association, and hope to live long enough to be able to 
visit the spot on which it will be greeted, — a spot which 
would call up in my mind an association of ideas of a charac- 
ter the most highly gratifying and cheering. Be i^leased, sir, 
to present me most respectfully to the worthy members of 
the Standing Committee, and believe me to be, most truly, 
your obedient servant, 

James Pleasants. 

E. EVERKTT. 

A citizen of Baltimore, of l^ew England origin, 
disclosed the lukewarm state of feeling there, even 
among his brother JSTew Englanders : — 

Baltimore, April 25, 1825. 
Edward Everett, Esq. 

Dear Sir, — Your favor of the 26th December came to 
hand. I feel flattered at the enclosed certificate of member- 
ship to the Bunker Hill Monument Association. Although I 
have not before replied to your letter, you must not attribute 
it to any indifference on my part to the object of the Asso- 
ciation, or a want of personal regard to yourself, either of 
which would be unjust, and a subject of the greatest regret 
to me. The true reason is, that, on submitting the letter and 
documents to most of the New England residents here, it was 
received in so cold a manner that I hardly knew in what way 
to answer it. This unwillingness to subscribe arises princi- 



70 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 

pally from the peculiar situation in whicli they are placed ; 
having, as you well know, constantly to contribute largely 
(for their means) to keep that splendid edifice from falling 
to the ground in which Mr. Sparks formerly officiated. How 
much longer, even with their almost unprecedented liberal- 
ity, they will be able to keep it up, is quite uncertain. 
However, there are some who are anxious to become mem- 
bers ; and, if you will forward me twenty or thirty blank 
certificates, I will fill them up, and send you a list of the 
names, with a remittance for the amount subscribed. Should 
I then want more, I will send for them. 

With great respect, your obedient servant and friend, 

R. H. Osgood. 

Fortunately, a native of Baltimore, engaged in a 
like undertaking, felt a special interest in this : — 

Baltimore, 10th April, 1825. 

Sir, — I feel extremely flattered by the honor conferred 
on me by the Standing Committee of the Bunker Hill Monu- 
ment Association in electing me an honorary member of that 
respectable and praiseworthy institution, and accept the dis- 
tinction with much pleasure. 

Being myself deeply interested in a similar object here, as 
President of the Washington Monument Association, I can- 
not but desire that every success should attend the execution 
of your plans, towards which I shall have much gratification 
in contributing in any manner which may lie in my power. 

Accept, sir, my best wishes for your health and happiness, 
and believe me to be very truly yours, 

Robert Gilmer. 

Edward Everett, Esq., Sec. of S. C. B. H. Association. 

Often the same slow mail brought both discourage- 
ment and good cheer. What more approving than 
those precious \ettevs, facsimile copies of which are 
placed in this volume ! 




[f^ 



yfm 



i'' 




R.M.Stalgg 



' Cheney 



'-^^^ C^-^^/^t^^e^.^'C^Lr . 



CHAPTER V. 

A Nation's character is the sum of its splendid deeds; they constitute one 
common patrimony, the Nation's inheritance. 

TTS 7HILE Me. Everett addregsed the letters of 
^ ' the Committee, joined with his special indorse- 
ment, to the leading- men of every State, it could not 
have been exj^ected that hearty responses would be 
received fi'om all. Nor could they have been surprised 
if, in some cases, where they might have relied upon 
a hearty co-operation, or a God-speed, they got back 
for answer cold discouragement, or even an absolute 
refusal to have any thing to do with the scheme. 
Following upon such rebuffs, a letter like the fol- 
lowing, offering aid unsolicited, must have been 
exceedingly welcome. The writer was a brother of 
William Tudor, the prime oi'iginator of the Moim- 
raent, and himself one of the most enterprising of 
men, and the originator of the transportation of ice 
to India and other countries where the luxury of 
ice was before unknown : — 

Boston, Nov. 12, 1824. 

Dear Sir, — I have an impression that aid may be ob- 
tained for our Bunker Hill Monument from Bostonians and 
other New-Englanders resident abroad, as we all know with 
what peculiar fondness we turn homeward our recollections 



"72 HISTORY OF THE 

when away, and the exultation which we feel in any thing 
which honors and adorns the country we love. There are, 
in many distant countries, numbers of our townsmen who 
have enriched themselves, but who have so long been absent 
that they are lost to us in every thing except those good feel- 
ings of which I have spoken. These are vivid, and probably 
will remain to the last, nor perish when they die. We have 
forgotten them, but they cherish the remembrance of us. I 
cannot but think it would be worth the attempt to invite 
them to the general contribution which is to be made ; and I 
take the liberty of tendering my services, if properly author- 
ized by the Association, to ask of such as I am personally 
acquainted with, and others through them, for assistance 
towards the completion of an object so highly interesting. 

I am, very respectfully, 

Frederic Tudor. 

Edward Everett, Esq. 

Judge Daggett, Professor in the Law School in 
'New Haven, and a native of Attleboro', Massachu- 
setts, promptly sent his grateful contribution to an 
object that touched his heart : — 

New Haven, April 22, 1825. 
Sir, — Your letter of 16th March last, informing me that 
I was " elected an honorary member of the Bunker Hill Mon- 
ument Association," was duly received. I cannot promise 
much " influence or aid in carrying into effect the design of the 
incorporation," though I accept with pleasure this mark of 
respect. I have requested ni}^ friends, Munson and Barnard, 
to pay you ten dollars towards this object. Proud of the 
thousand institutions of my native State, and feeling a lively 
interest in an association so suited to commemorate the glor}'' 
of Bunker Hill, it would gratify me to be able to contribute 
more of my substance and somewhat of my aid towards it. 
Accept the assurance of my respect. 

David Daggett. 

Tlie Hon. Mr. Everett. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 73 

A citizen of South Carolina, and a distinguished 
diplomat, sent his liberal token: — 

LuBECK, April 22, 1825. 
To Edward Everett, Esq. 

Sir, — Your favor of the 22d ult., informing me I had been 
elected a member of the Bunker Hill Monument Association, I 
received yesterday. I thank my fellow-citizens for the honor 
they have conferred on me in adopting me one of the mem- 
bers of that society. I enclose a draft on Nathaniel Goddard, 
of Boston, for fiO, which I request the Association to ac- 
cept of to forward the object they have in view. Every 
thing relative to the transactions of that memorable day, the 
17th of June, 1775, commands my attention. I enclose a 
letter to my friend Goddard, which I wish may accompany 
the draft. 

I pray you, Mr. Secretary, to accept of the assurance of 
my very respectful and high esteem. 

L. Tkescott. 

Mr. Bartlett, a leading- member of the New Hamp- 
shire Bar, sent his donation, with a promise of further 
aid in other ways: — 

Portsmouth, April 19, 1825. 

Sir, — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your 
letter of March 22d, informing me that I have been elected 
an honorary member of the Bunker Hill Monument Associa- 
tion. My absence from home has prevented an earlier 
acknowledgment of your favor. It will give me pleasure to 
aid, so far as in my power, the designs of that institution. 
Please add to its funds the small sum, SIO, enclosed, and 
acce|)t my best wishes, with the promise of my best efforts for 
the success of its object. 

With great respect, I am your obedient servant, 

ICHABOD BaETLETT. 
B[on. Edward Everett, Secretary, &c. 

10 



74 ' HISTORY OF THE 

Robert G. Shaw, whose name is identified with 
almost every great charity and benevolent institution 
in Boston which solicited aid during the half-century 
in which he flourished, sent his subscription, with a 
pledge, which he afterwards redeemed : — 

Oct. 13, 1824. 
Edward Everett, Esq. 

Dear Sir, — I received a notification to meet a few gen- 
tlemen this evening, at the Marlboro' Hotel, on the .subject of 
the Bunker Hill Monument. My absence from the city will 
prevent my attendance. At the same time allow me to say, 
that no one feels more interest than I do in the accomplish- 
ment of the object of the meeting, and I shall be ready at all 
times to evince this in any way in my power. If a subscrip- 
tion is to be made this evening, j^ou will please to put my 
name down for one hundred dollars, with a pledge that, if a 
further subscription should be called for, I am ready to go 
to twice or even thrice this sum in promoting so laudable an 
object. And I assure you that I feel much obliged to the 
active promoters of it. Next to the worthies who risked 
their all on the memorable 17th of June, they are entitled to 
my thanks for their patriotic exertions. 

With much respect, dear sir, your obedient humble servant, 

Rob. G. Shaw. 

Hon. James Lloj^d, then United States Senator 

from Massachusetts, without waiting to be waited 

upon by the Committee, sent his subscription in the 

following graceful note : — 

Boston, Oct. 4, 18^4. 

Mr. Lloyd, with his respects, informs Mr. Everett, that he 
had the honor to receive a notice, under Sept. 1, 1824, of his 
having been elected a member of the Bunker Hill Associa- 
tion, — the concluding sentence of Avhicli appeared to him 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 75 

to preclude not only the necessity, but the expectation, of a 
reply. He mentions this merely, as the certificate has not 
yet reached him, lest his silence should have been misconstrued 
into a disinclination he does not feel, — to become a member 
of the society. 

Mr. Lloyd will not trouble the committee to send him the 
subscription-book, as intimated in Mr. Everett's note, which 
has just reached him. The committee will be pleased to con- 
sider him as a subscriber for one hundred dollars, to be paid 
whenever requested. 

Prof. Everett, Secretary of the Standing Committee of the 
Bunker Hill Monument Association. 

John Lowell, the defender of Putnam's honored 
name, a distinguished lawyer and an eloquent speaker 
and writer, sent also, unsolicited, his subscription : — 

RoxBURY, Oct. 3, 1824. 
Prof. Everett, Secretary of the Bunker Hill Association, 

Dear Sir, — I cannot have the vanity to believe that any 
opinion of mine will promote the subscriptions to a national 
work, — a work which ought not to require any recommenda- 
tion. I cannot recollect what I did say; and I am sure that 
I should have written a letter with more care, if I had sup- 
posed that it would be published. But, as I have the most 
implicit confidence in the committee, I submit to their dis- 
cretion the few remarks I made, to be used as they may 
think proper. You are authorized to subscribe for me one 
hundred dollars towards this object. This will spare you the 
trouble of sending the subscription book to my house. 

I am, dear sir, very respectfully, your friend and humble 

servant, 

J. Lowell. 

The letter referred to was written the month be- 
fore, and it contained the following sentiments worthy 
of perpetual remembrance : " I entirely approve of 



76 HISTORY OF THE 

the design of commemorating the greatest and most 
decisive event of our Revolntion, an event which 
does not rest, as the repnted source of Swiss liberty 
does, on fable; but on better and more authentic 
grounds than any of the boasted exploits of Greece 
and Rome. I think that it should be marked by a 
monument w^orthy of the heroism which was there 
displayed, and of the momentous consequences which 
followed from it. If that small band had retired 
without striking a blow, the army at Cambridge 
might have been dispersed, and no man can now say 
whether our Revolution might not have been retarded 
to this day." 

Thus wrote Rev. John Codman, D.D., who in this 
cause stood at the head of the clergy : — 

Dorchester, Oct. 15, 1824. 

Dear Sir, — I received yonr favor of the 8th inst., inform- 
ing me of my election as a member of the Bunker Hill 3Ion- 
ument Association. 

The patriotic object of this Association must commend 
itself to every friend of his country, and has powerful claims 
upon those who have it in their power to aid its complete 
accomplishment. 

I cheerfully enclose a checlv for $100. 

I am, very respectfully, your friend and servant, 

John Codman. 

Rev. Professor Everett. 

The gallant Commodore "William Bainbridge en- 
closed in his letter, a facsimile of which appears 
elsewhere, his check for one hundred dollars. 



BUNKER HILL MONmiENT ASSOCIATIOX. 77 

In unhappy contrast with the foregoing individual 
subscriptions is the subjoined letter, giving an account 
of the first canvass for subscriptions in the City of 
New York: — 

New York, May 20, 1825. 

Dear Sir, — I had the honor to receive, in due course, 
your letter of the 26th December, accompanied by the cir- 
cular addresses of the Bunker Hill Monument Association, 
and the certificate of membership which the Association had 
done me the favor to fill up in my name. 

I had, some time before, had the pleasure of conversing 
with Mr. Webster on this subject ; and I had then hoped 
that, amongst those resident here who derive their origin 
from New England, a considerable number would be found 
who, participating in the views of the Association, would be 
desirous of enrolling themselves as members of it by at least 
some small contribution to its funds. 

In consulting with one or two of our friends on the best 
manner of proceeding in collecting subscribers, it was thought 
advisable not to attempt larger subscriptions than five dol- 
lars, and a few of us put down our own names accordingly; 
hoping that, in fixing on so small a sum, we should find a 
general disposition to follow us. We then called attention 
to the subject by publication in the newspapers, and placed 
our book at one of tlie principal bookstores, and subsequently 
took the additional measure of sending the book round to a 
selected list of more than seventy names ; but our success, as 
you will perceive by the annexed list, has been utterly insig- 
nificant. Most of those called upon seemed to think the 
object too local and too distant to claim their participation. 

In so limited a list of contributors, I presume no regular 
deputation will be appointed to join in the celebration on the 
17th of June next ; but I am sure all of us will appreciate 
the obliging invitation which you have communicated. 

I have to request you will have the goodness to send me 
blank certificates for the names at foot, which I will take care 



78 HISTORY OF THE 

to see filled up and distributed. The net amount of our col- 
lection is $86y2^^, for whicli I beg leave to hand you a draft 
enclosed. 

I am, with great respect and esteem, dear sir, your most 

obedient servant, 

JojSTA. Goodhue. 

Hon. Edward Everett. 

The item of postage came to be a burdensome 
matter to the Committee, esjoecially to Mr. Everett, the 
Secretary, who, it appears, must have defrayed a con- 
siderable amount at his own private expense. It cost 
then to send a letter by mail the shortest distance, from 
Boston to Charlestown, for instance, and up to thirty 
miles, 64 cents; from that up to eighty miles, 10 
cents; from that up to one hundred and fifty miles, 
121 cents; from that up to four hundred miles, 18| 
cents; and over four hundred miles, 25 cents, and the 
same rate for every piece of paper additional. Mr. 
Everett sought to obtain relief from the Post-office 
Department, by inquiring if printed circulars could 
be mailed for pamphlet postage. The Postmaster- 
General, who was afterwards Justice of the Suj^reme 
Court of the United States, gave the following- 
answer : — / 

Post-office Department, 11th October, 1824. 

Sir, — I have received your favor of the 5th instant. The 
law does not authorize me to exercise a discretion in remit- 
ting the postage on letters or documents. If I could use 
such a discretion, there is no case in which it could be more 
properly exercised than the one named in your letter. 

The proof-sheets of Cleaveland's " Mineralogy " were not 
exempted from postage ; but they were believed to come 
under the definition of pamphlets, and were directed to be 




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BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 79 

charged with postage as such. This was a different construc- 
tion of the law from what had prevailed in the Department, 
but I have no doubt of its correctness. 

Any communications which your Association may wish to 
make by mail, which by their form and matter come properly 
under the definition of pamphlets, will, of course, be charged 
with no more than pamphlet postage. 

I am, with great respect, your obedient serAant, 

John McLeak. 

Edward Everett, Esquire, Boston. 

Your circular was not enclosed. I thank you for your 
excellent oration. 

The oration referred to was undoubtedly the one 
delivered before the Phi Beta Kappa Society, at 
Cambridge, Angast 26, preceding, in the presence of 
Lafayette. 

The following letter expressed an apprehension of 
the safety of the mail, which turned out to be un- 
founded, as soon after it was sent the writer received 
the proper acknowledgment: — 

PoRTSJiouTH, June 6, 1825. 

Sir, — On the 19th of April, I answered your letter of 22d 
March, and enclosed a ten-dollar bill of United States Bank, 
as my mite to the Bunker Hill Monument ; but, not having 
received any notice of its reception, it probably did not get 
through the post-offices. It was directed to Boston. The 
amount is of less consequence than the conduct of the post- 
officers at this place or Boston. 

I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, 

ICHABOD BarTLETT. 
Hon. Edward Everett. 

It serves, however, to illustrate the various little 
details with which Mr. Everett was exercised in per- 







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80 HISTORY OF THE 

forming his arduous duties as Secretary. We can 
readily perceive what a drag and clog upon all enter- 
prise, and upon social and business correspondence 
was this excessive postage. Then the slowness of the 
mail by the stage-coach in those days ! 

The great event of the half-century was referred to 
in the following letter from Abbott Lawrence, who 
made an appropriate suggestion with regard to the 
Association : — 

Boston, Aug. 7th, 1824. 

Dear Sm, — The Marquis has at last arrived at New 
York, and probably will soon be here. Now, would it not be 
well, while he is here, to have a general subscription among 
all classes of our citizens, for the erection of a Monument upon 
Bunker Hill ? Feelings in the community will be excited, 
which, perhaps, never will again be felt ; and it does appear 
to me that there will not again be so favorable a moment to 
collect money as when the Marquis is here. I have men- 
tioned the subject to several persons in quite middling cir- 
cumstances, and all approve the object and say they will give. 
In the mean time, I apprehend great benefit would arise if 
some person who is read}^ with his pen (Mr. Everett, for 
example) to address the public through the newspapers. I 
merely make these suggestions to you, with a hope something 
may soon be done to accomplish at least a part of our mutual 
wishes in relation to the Monument. 

I am, dear sir, truly your obedient servant, 

Abbott Laweence. 

Col. S. D. Hauris. 

Indeed, the arrival of Lafayette, in compliance with 
the earnest invitation of the National Government, 
was a most joyful occasion, and his presence was 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 81 

besouofht and o^reeted throughout the land. It was 
the crownhig happiness and glory of the first half- 
centuiy of the Republic. The Standing Committee 
decided that this was the most fitting time to make 
an earnest appeal in behalf of the Monument to every 
town in Massachusetts. General William Sullivan 
was appointed to prepare the Address. He was the 
younger brother of Richard Sullivan, and a distin- 
guished lawj^er, publicist, and scholar. He submitted 
the Address to the Committee, which was unanimously 
approved. It was found to suit the feeling of the 
time, — patriotic, trumpet-toned, soul-stirring. It was 
issued in the following form, with the request that the 
Selectmen would cause it to be read in open town 
meeting, at the November election : — 

Address of the Bunker Hill Monument Association to the Selectmen of the 
several Towns in Massachusetts. 

Boston, Oct. 1, 1824. 

At a meeting of the Directors of the Bunker Hill Monu- 
ment Association, the committee appointed to prepare an 
exposition of the views and objects of this Association, to be 
transmitted, with a subscription-book, to the selectmen of the 
several towns in the State, reported an Address. The same 
having been read and considered, it was voted unanimously 
that it be accepted. 

Voted., That Dr. John C. Warren, together with the com- 
mittee aforesaid, sign the Address in behalf of the Directors, 
and cause the same to be printed in the first pages of the 
subscription-books, and transmitted to the several towns. 

Attest : 

(Signed) Edward Everett, 

Secretary pro tern, of the Board of Directors. 
11 



82 HISTORY OF THE 

Boston, Oct. 1, 1824. 
To the Selectmen. 

Gentlemen, — The American Revolution may be justly 
considered as one of those remarkable events designed by 
a wise and beneficent Providence to change and to improve 
the condition of mankind. Its original causes lie far back in 
the history of our Fathers. Its consequences are gradually 
disclosing themselves throughout the civilized world. But 
its immediate causes, and the agents bi/ ivliom they ivere di- 
rected, are the peculiar objects of our attention at present. 

We all know that the Parent Country exercised its power 
over these remote colonies in a manner which its inhabitants 
held to be unjust, unreasonable, and intolerable. A series of 
complaints, j^etitions, and remonstrances produced no other 
consequence than to bring over an armed force, to awe the 
colonists to submission. They soon found themselves sub- 
jected to an odious tyranny of hired soldiers. The indigna- 
tion universally felt could not be alwaj^s restrained ; and it 
sometimes broke forth in acts of hostility between the colo- 
nists and the military power. As the spirit of resistance 
increased, the number of soldiers was augmented, until, in 
the spring of 1775, several regiments, as well as some ships 
of war, were assembled at Boston. 

The thoughtful colonists foresaw that scenes of violence 
and bloodshed must follow, unless they submitted themselves 
unconditionally to the will of the Mother Country. They 
could not, they would not, so submit. But they knew that 
the country was not prepared for an appeal to arms. There 
was no armed force but the militia, — no magazines, no mili- 
tary stores, no ammunition but the little which was provided 
in time of profound peace, no experienced men qualified to 
meet a trained and well-prepared foe. Certainly, no means 
could be imagined of contending against the whole power of 
Great Britain, which might be brought to act on the country. 
In this desponding and hopeless state, it pleased the Al- 
mighty to insjjire their hearts witli courage according to their 
necessities. What they wanted in numl)ers, and in prepara- 



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BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 83 

tion for war, was abundantly made up to them in confidence 
in the righteousness of their cause, and in the manly resolu- 
tion to die ivith honor if they could not live without disgrace. 

On the 19th of April, '75, the British sent a body of troops 
from Boston, to destroy some powder and provisions at Con- 
cord. These troops, while passing through Lexington, Avan- 
tonly fired upon and killed a number of the inhabitants. 
Some hastily assembled militiamen ventured to oppose them- 
selves to the regulars at Concord, and there the first blood 
was shed between the British and the armed Americans. 
The dreadful scenes of this memorable da}' roused the spirit 
of the country ; and tlie militia came from different quarters, 
with any and whatever means they had, for conflict. 

To divert the British from fortifying themselves on Dor- 
chester Heights, it was deemed necessary to send a force, 
from the headquai'ters at Cambridge, to take possession of 
the heights in Charlestown. Under cover of the night of the 
16th of June, 1775, this detachment proceeded silently and 
cautiously, and with such arms and implements as they had, 
and with a very small supply of powder, to take possession 
of the hills, and spend the night in the hurried labor of pre- 
paring for themselves some intrenchment against the probable 
attack of the British. Poorly prepared, and wearied with 
labor, they met the shock, on the following day, of the picked 
and chosen men of the British army. 

The consequences of the cool, undaunted, astonishing 
bravery displayed on that day we now feel and enjoy ; and 
they will continue to be felt and enjoyed so long as we and 
our descendants shall be worthy of the name of freemen. 

It is among these consequences that we are now the citizens 
of a free and independent republic, not the degraded and 
despised subjects of despotic royal power ; 

That we live under laws made by rulers chosen from 
among ourselves, not under the orders of arbitrary authority, 
enforced by a ferocious soldiery ; 

That we dwell in security in our peaceful homes, in the 
full enjoyment of the fruits of our labor, instead of being 



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84 HISTORY OF THE 

liable to arbitrary taxation, and to personal service in wars of 
ambition, in Avhich we could have no advantage, thougli sub- 
ject to the most distressing evils ; 

That the community of which we are members is thriving, 
and expanding with the impulses of civil freedom, not creep- 
ing through a humble existence, in the constraint of colonial 
dependence ; 

In short, that we are citizens of a free, powerful, and in- 
creasing nation, not a remote and insignificant appendage to 
a kingdom, and ruled by mandates issuing from a throne three 
thousand miles from our homes. 

What of gratitude, reverence, and affection do we not owe, 
fellow-citizens, to our countrj-men who assembled and met 
the British on Bunker Hill on the seventeenth of June ! It 
is to their manly resistance that we owe the precious bless- 
ings we call our own, — all, all that we hold dear. Had 
they turned and fled, as the British believed they would ; 
had a panic spread through the country from their flight, — 
might, might not the germ of liberty have been crushed in 
the bud, and the history of our country have been stained 
with disgraceful military executions, instead of being read, 
as it now is, with emotions of inexpressible thanksgiving and 
j)raise ? 

It is in honor of that glorious day that it is now proposed 
to raise a monument worthy of those we commemorate, and 
to remind successive generations of the deeds of our Fathers, 
and to evince the just and heartfelt gratitude of the present 
time. It is known to you that the design of erecting a monu- 
ment has long been in contemplation. It has been held to be 
some reproach to us all that it has been so long delayed. As 
the FIFTIETH year froiu the day of this memorable battle is to 
close on the next seventeenth of June, it has been deemed, 
by a number of citizens, highh^ desirable that an effort should 
be made to purchase the battle-ground, and to be prepared to 
la}^ the corner-stone on that day. These citizens, animated 
by the assurance that their patriotic efl'orts would be readily 
seconded by all other citizens throughout the State, assumed 
the labor and responsibility of carrying this design into effect. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 85 

They obtained an act of incorporation, to enable them to 
purchase and to hold the land on which the battle was 
fought, with a provision to cede it to the State when it shall 
have been adorned Avith a monument, raised by the grateful 
contributions of the peoj^le throughout the Commonwealth. 
It is the design of the corporation to erect a column of two 
hundred and twenty feet in height^ of hewn granite, contain- 
ing in its centre a circular stair-way, by which it may be as- 
cended to the top. 

The corporation cherish the hope that the means of accom- 
plishing the object in view will have been so far realized that 
the land will have been purchased, and that, after suitable 
notice of the occasion by public address, and after solemn 
thanksgiving to the Almighty Disposer of human events, the 
CORNER-STONE may be laid on the seventeenth of June next, in 
the presence of the venerable Americans who fought this 
battle, and who may yet be living. How affecting must this 
scene be to them ; contrasting, as they must do, their feelings 
on that day of peril and destruction with those that will rush 
on their noble minds on beholding this solemn tribute of 
gratitude and honor ! 

It is a part of the design of the corporation to collect and 
preserve all printed and manuscript and personal histories of 
these early scenes of the Revolutionary War, and the arms 
and implements which were used in these scenes, and which 
will otherwise soon be lost in the destroying progress of time. 
It is greatly to be regretted that this labor has not been ear- 
lier undertaken. It is not too late. Individuals yet live who 
can describe facts which they saw, and scenes in which they 
acted, so strange and heroic that they resemble ingenious 
fables, or the dreams of romance, rather than the realities of 
authentic history. A suitable apartment for the deposit and 
preservation of these various relics and histories will be 
deposited and preserved, — the oiiginal subscription-books, 
arranged according to counties and towns, that the names 
and places of abode of those who join in this tribute of re- 
spect and gratitude may be for ever known. It is also 
intended to erect a suitable monument at Concord, where the 



86 HISTORY OF THE 

first conflict was had, bearing proper inscriptions to commem- 
orate the glorious spirit of independence which manifested 
itself there, and the names of the men ivho fell there, and whose 
memory should be for ever cherished and honored. 

It is ascertained, as nearly as can be by careful computa- 
tion, that the purchase of the land, and the entire completion 
of the whole design, Avill require an expenditure of seventy- 
five THOUSAND DOLLARS. To laise this sum, a subscription- 
book has been prepared for everj^ town in the State, and 
transmitted to the care of the selectmen in each town, accom- 
panied with a circular letter, respectfully recommending the 
mode of obtaining subscriptions, and of collecting and trans- 
mitting the money to the treasurer of the corporation. 

Lately, when General Lafayette was on Bunker Hill, the 
nature of the Bunker Hill Monument Association was ex- 
plained to him. He expressed his wish to subscribe. His 
name stands at the head of the list. He was requested not 
to place any sum against his name, and so it remains. It 
was the intention of the Association that the sum to be 
placed against the name of Lafayette should be the whole 
amount of all the sums which the little children throughout 
the State might subscribe or give to the erection of the mon- 
;iment. We thus give to these little ones an opportunity of 
testifying their gratitude to this excellent man and noble 
BENEFACTOR of their country ; while the aggregate amount, so 
placed as his subscription, will probably be such a sum as 
would well become the munificent heart and patriotic wishes 
of Lafayette. 

It is with exceeding pleasure that the citizens who have 
taken the responsible labor of organizing and giving effect to 
the public sentiment can declare that they have received 
every desirable support and encouragement from all persons 
whose attention has been called to this object. 

There is no longer a doubt tluit a monument will rise on 
the spot where the battle of the seventeenth of June, '75, Avas 
fought. As it will commemorate the greatest event in the 
liistory of civil liberty, it should be, and shall he, the grand- 
est monument in the world. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 87 

Such a monument will not only carry down to distant ages 
the memory of illustrious deeds : it Avill also remind the gen- 
erations, as they rise, of the origin of their social rights ; it 
will proclaim to them, with awful grandeur, the sacred duty 
of preserving unimpaired the freedom which was purchased 

with PRECIOUS BLOOD. 

At the Annual Meeting of the Society, on the seventeenth 
of June, 1824, the officers chosen for the year ensuing were 
the following ; [the names are here omitted]. 

Since the last Annual Meeting, the Society, encouraged by 
the public sentiment, have proceeded with steady and effec- 
tual steps in this great enterprise. It may be truly said that 
there is but one sentiment, one feeling, throughout the State, 
and that there is not a heart in all Massachusetts in which 
that sentiment and feeling will not be found. 

We pray leave to refer to the letter of advice which accom- 
panies the subscription-book. 

Gentlemen, we have had the honor thus to explain the 
views of the Association. If you and your townsmen accord 
in these feelings and sentiments, this Society desires your 
aid, your approving sanction, and such co-operation as your 
own feelings and sentiments may dictate. 

There is no limitation as to the amount which any individ- 
ual may contribute. No sum will be too great, none too 
small. As the blessings of social life belong exclusively 
neither to age nor to sex, all who dwell in this favored land 
are alike interested in the proposed monument. But, as 
many of our fellow-citizens may desire to be members of this 
Institution, the Directors have established one general rule, 
alike applicable to all ; viz., that all persons who subscribe the 
sum of FIVE DOLLARS or more shall thereby become members 
of the Society, and shall be entitled to a certificate of member- 
ship, containing an engraved sketch of the action of June 17. 

With great respect, your friends and fellow-citizens, 

John C. Warren. 
William Sullivan. 
H. A. S. Dearborn. 
Edward Everett. 



88 HISTORY OF THE 

It was proposed to send copies of this Address to 
the settled ministers, that they might read it to their 
several congregations on Thanksgiving Day; but 
the ministers did not accede to the proposition. 
General Sullivan was charged with the duty of 
procuring the subscription-books containing the Ad- 
dress, and of delivering them to the Selectmen. This 
was before the day of Adams and of Harnden, when 
the Express, as a regular means of distributing 
parcels through every part of the land, was unknown. 
On an emergency, the stage-coach was resorted to, 
and the driver was requested to deliver the packages 
committed to him at his convenience, which did not 
always happen to be a great convenience to the 
parties. 

General Sullivan brought in requisition the services 
of his brethren of the Bar in the Commonwealth, by 
sending the books to them while attending court. 
He employed two students in his office, one of whom 
was Rufus Dawes, who, like his father, Judge Thomas 
Dawes, was a poet, and an elegant writer of prose 
besides. His letter gives us a vivid account of his 
exploit: — 

Peru, Oct. 28, 1824. 
8 o'clock ill the evening. 

Deae, Sir, — I arrived at Stockbridge yesterday p.m. at 
3 o'clock, and was immediately conveyed to Lenox, six 
miles distant. Mr. D wight was engaged in court, and the 
other gentlemen mentioned particularly in your letter were 
not to be found. I met, however, Mr. Whitney of the Bar, 
who introduced me to Mr. Gold, of Pittsfield. In ten minutes, 
one-half of the books were distributed, and the sheriff offered 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 89 

to take the rest to the court-house, and distribute thera like- 
wise immediately, which was of course accepted. 

Mr. Gold said tliat it was not worth wliile to send me to 
Zoa}\ there being only eight or ten famiUes residing there. 
Its Hebrew name signifies its insignificance. Munroe is in 
Franklin County, and there is no such town as Grore, it 
being annexed to some other one. Mr. Gold suggested the 
worth tvhile of sending a book to the Shakers, who, in Berk- 
shire, are a public-spirited society, and might contribute 
largely. I departed at once, business finished, for Pittsfield, 
as a stage runs directly thence to Northampton, but was 
obliged to wait till four this afternoon. I have nevertheless 
saved time and money by this course, and sliall be in Boston 
not till Sunday evening, unless I receive orders through Mr. 
Pratt to proceed elsewhere. I have not delayed one mo- 
ment ; and, had my motive in travelling been merely to ascer- 
tain how far I miglit travel, I could not have gone more 
speedil3% 

From a most uncomfortable desk in a miserable bar-room, 

I am your obedient and humble servant, 

RuFus Dawes. 

Hon. William Sullivax. 

P. S. Shall be in Northampton at 9 o'clock to-morrow, 
and shall, if Mr. P. is not there, hasten home. 

The book for Stockbridge was sealed without a superscrip- 
tion, and placed with those for Hampden County, which led 
to my mistake ; but, soon after my letter had left, I found out 
its proper destination, Berkshire, directed and delivered it. 

R. D. 

General Sullivan transmitted the letter to Dr. War- 
ren, with the following indorsement: — 

SUXDAT, 31st. 

Dr. Warren. 

Dear Sir, — Dawes and Pratt are returned. All the 
books are distributed. Out of 316, I suj)pose at least 

12 



90 HISTORY OF THE 

280 are now in the hands of the Selectmen. We began on 
Tuesday morn, and may consider a good deal done in five 
days, at rather a low rate of expense. In some places, the 
messengers were well received ; in others, not. My opinion is 
that no great dependence should be placed on country dona- 
tions. W. S. 

The books came straggling back, brought some- 
times by some private hand, more frequently by the 
Representative to the General Court, and occasion- 
ally by the stage-coacli. Here are samples of the 
return of the Selectmen : — 

Sandisfield, August 17th, 1825. 
To Prof. Edward Everett. 

Sir, — The selectmen of the town of Sandisfield have paid 
due attention to the subject of the Bunker Hill Monument ; 
but, the town of Sandisfield being remotely situated, no gen- 
tleman feels sufficiently interested to become a subscriber. 

We have the honor to be, most respectfully, your obedient 
servants, 

Urial Smith, 
Thomas Deming, 
Joseph Sears, 

Selectmen of Sandisfield. 



Dracutt, July 27tli, 1825. 

SiE, — Your letter of the 11th has been received. The 
subscription-book for the Bunker Hill Monument was not 
received by us till June last, in consequence of which we 
were prevented laying the book before the town at the annual 
meetings ; and we have not given it that circulation we could 
wish as yet. We have obtained subscriptions to the amount 
of $35, which I shall deliver to yourself, or the treasurer 
of the Association, on the 9th of August next, together with 
the subscription-book. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 91 

Please to pardon our neglect. 

I have the honor to be, sir, for the selectmen of Draciitt, 
your obedient servant, 

B. F. Varxum, 

Chairman. 
Hon. Edward Everett. 



Manchester, Dec. 27, 1824. 

Dear Sm, — By the politeness of the bearer. Captain Leach, 
you will receive the book, and money collected here for the 
Bunker Hill Monument, amounting to sixty-four dollars. 
The sum has fell short of my expectation. You may rest 
assured that every exertion on my part to swell the sum has 
been made. There are many who appear to be void of that 
gratitude due to our fathers whose blood drenched the hill 
of Bunker's to make us free. 

I have the honor to be, most respectfully, your obedient 
servant, 

Israel Forster, 

Chairman of the Selectmen. 
Nathaniel P. Russell, Esq. 

P. S. Please to send the certificates of membership by 
Captain Leach. 

Judge Story^ one of the Vice-Presidents, took 
special interest in his town, to induce a large number 
of his townsmen to subscribe the price of member- 
ship, and thus obtain those precious " certificates," 
which were handsomely engraved with a view of the 
Battle and the facsimile signatures of the oflScers of 
the Association. 

Salem, Jan. 7, 1825. 

My dear Sir, — • We have not yet closed our subscriptions 
for the Bunker Hill Monument Association, and we shall not 



92 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCLVHON. 

be as successful as we ought to be ; but we shall still do 
something. There are, as I am informed by Mr. Jonathan P. 
Saunders (the town clerk), two hundred and twenty-nine 
who have subscribed five dollars each, and the}^ are impatient 
for their certificates of membership. Mr. Saunders has, at 
the suggestion of the selectmen, undertaken to fill up the 
certificates for this town, pro hono publico, from a desire to 
aid the object with all his power. He will hand you this 
paper ; and, if you will send by him the number of certificates 
required (deducting those whose names you already have, 
and whose certificates have been sent), I shall be obliged 
to you. He is a worthy man, and is very willing to give his 
services, but is not able to subscribe. I hope, however, he 
may be created a member by the Board ; and I am quite sure 
his labors will deserve a far greater recompense. 

If by any circumstance you should be prevented from 
sending the certificates by Mr. Saunders, I wish you Avould 
send them to me by the first opportunity. Mr. Saunders will 
be requested to keep a list of all the certificates he fills up 
and delivers. 

I shall be glad if you are present in the senate chamber 
on Thursday next, though I do not hope to change your 
opinion. 

Yours very truly and affectionately, 

Joseph Story. 

Mr. Prof. Everett. 

The matter upon which the^ Judge desired to 
change the opinion of Professor Everett was the 
question, then deeply agitated among the Directors, 
of the form of the proposed Monument. The Judge 
was strongly in favor of the obelisk; the Professor, 
true to his Grecian taste and classic culture, pro- 
nounced as decidedly for the column. 



^^ ^ t 111 






3 









<;il 
^ 










^^ir 



CHAPTER YI. 

Monuments are the grappling-irons that bind one generation to another. 

GOVERNOR EUSTIS, as before stated, had 
made the object of the Bunker Hill Monument 
Association a conspicuous topic in the address which 
he pi'onounced before the Legislature a few days be- 
fore his untimely death. The Association desired 
three things, — aid of the Commonwealth in the 
erection of the proposed monument, in the form of 
money or its equivalent; authority to take as much 
of the battle-field as might be deemed desirable 
by the right of eminent domain, in case they could 
not obtain a deed of the owner; and the donation of 
two or more of the cannon belonging to the State, 
which had been used in the Revolutionary War, to be 
placed within or around the monument. The Gov- 
ernor deemed it important that the plan of the monu- 
ment should be submitted to the Legislature for its 
approval, before any encouragement should be given. 
But no one seconded that suggestion; and, after his 
death, no notice was taken of it. 

That portion of the Governor's address which 
related to this subject was referred to a joint special 
committee, of which Seth Knowles, a senator, was 



94 HISTORY OF THE , 

made chairman, because he was known to be one of 
the Directors of the Association, lie was a success- 
ful merchant of Boston, then resident of Charlestown, 
and connected by marriage with one of the leading 
families of the latter place. The Committee, after 
a hearing, gave leave to the Association to bring in 
a bill. This was drawn by General Sullivan. Mr. 
Everett, on behalf of the Directors, wrote letters to 
several members of the two Houses, bespeaking their 
favorable consideration of the patriotic movement. 
The bill passed, with an amendment limiting the 
amount of the stone to be hammered at the state 
prison gratuitously, to the value of f 10,000, instead 
of all the stone required foi* the monument, as re- 
ported. The Act is as follows : — 

An Act to aid the Banlcer Hill Monument Association. 

Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of 
Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the 
authority of the same, that the Bunker Hill Monument 
Association shall be entitled to have the stone, of which their 
intended monument may be constructed, hammered and pre- 
pared to be used, at the state prison in Charlestown ; and the 
proper officers of the prison are hereby authorized and re- 
quired to cause the same stone to be hammered and prepared 
accordingly ; and in such form and manner as the Directors 
of said Association may retpiest. Provided, that the ham- 
mering of stone under the provisions of this section shall 
never exceed in value the sum of ten thousand dollars ; and, 
provided further, that nothing herein contained, shall be so 
construed, as to prevent or retard the fulfilment of any 
contract for stone work with any other person or persons 
whatever. 

Sect. 2. Be it further enacted, that whenever the Directors 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 95 

of said Association shall apply therefor, the Governor and 
Council be, and they hereby are, authorized and empowered, 
to cause to be delivered to said Association, the two cannon 
called the Hancock and Adams, to adorn the intended monu- 
ment, and to be preserved as the earliest of the reliqnes of the 
revolutionary struggle ; and to deliver, also, for the same 
purpose, any two other cannon used in the Revolutionary 
"War, and now belonging to the State, as to the Governor and 
Council may seem proper. 

Sect. 3. Be it further enacted, that the Bunker Hill Monu- 
ment Association be, and the Directors thereof, acting for 
said Association, hereby are, authorized and empowered to 
take and to appropriate to the legal uses of said Association, 
any land on Breed's Hill, in Charlestown, which said Direc- 
tors may tind to be necessary in the design of erecting a 
monument, and laying out the surrounding ground in the 
appropriate manner, not exceeding five acres : Provided 
always, that the said Corporation shall, before the title to 
said land which shall be so taken shall vest in said Corpora- 
tion, apply by petition to the Court of Common Pleas, in the 
county of Middlesex, to have a committee of five disinterested 
freeholders within the same county, appointed to appraise the 
land which may be so taken for the uses aforesaid ; and the 
said committee shall be commissioned by said court to per- 
form that duty, and shall be duly sworn to the performance 
thereof, and having notified all persons known to be inter- 
ested in said land, to appear at a time and place, to be by said 
committee appointed, shall proceed to appraise the same, and 
shall make return into said court under their hand and seals, 
of their doings, and shall describe the lands taken by said 
Corporation, by metes and bounds, and the just value thereof 
in money to each and every individual proprietor thereof ; 
and the return of said committee being accepted by the court, 
and ordered to be recorded, the said Corporation shall be 
holden to pay unto said court the full appraised value of the 
land taken, with all the costs of appraisement ; and, on mak- 
ing such payment into court, the title to said land shall vest 



96 HISTORY OF THE 

ill said Corporation. Provided always, that any person or 
persons, who may be aggrieved by the appraisement of said 
committee, may move the court tliat a jury may be impan- 
elled to appraise the value, by their verdict, of the land 
which may have been taken from such person or j)ersons, and 
the said court shall proceed to inquire of the said value by the 
said jury, and it shall be lawful for any two or more of the 
proprietors from whom land shall have been taken, to join 
in submitting their joint or respective claims to such jury. 
And if the said jury sliall not, by their verdict, find the value 
of the land to be greater than said committee shall have 
appraised the same at, the said former owner or owners shall 
not recover costs for the trial by jury. But if the said jury 
shall find the value of the land to be greater than the said 
committee shall have appraised the same at, the said Corpora- 
tion shall be adjudged to pay the costs of the trial ; that the 
verdict of the jury being accepted and recorded by the court, 
the said Corporation sliall be entitled to have and hold the 
land taken, on paying the value found by the jury, into court, 
with, or without costs, as aforesaid. 

Sect. 4. Be it further enacted, that the money paid into 
court shall be paid out to such person or persons as the court 
shall find to have been the lawful owners of the land taken 
by said Corporation, or to the legal representatives of such 
owners, according to tlie respective rights which such own- 
ers, or their legal representatives, shall make to appear to 
said court, and that said corporation shall pay the legal costs 
of such application to the court. 

Sect. 5. Be it further enacted, that when the said monu- 
ment shall have been completed by the said Corporation, the 
same shall be, together with all the land purchased, and then 
held by said Corporation, conveyed to the Commonwealth of 
INIassachusetts, to be had and held by said Commonwealth, 
on the condition tliat the Commonwealth shall keep the said 
monument, and any buildings for public use connected 
therewith, in good repair for ever. 

Approved by the Lieut. Governor, Feb. 26, 1825. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 97 

Dr. Warren wi'ote to Mr. Everett, February 24 : 
"Our Bill passed the House this afternoon, — not 
without a struggle, Avhich made me tremble for its 
fate. Mr. Dexter was at my side, and, though opposed, 
he declined speaking or voting against the Bill; for 
which we have much reason to thank him, as it would 
have proved fatal." 

Although the passage of the Act was deemed of the 
highest importance, the result did not prove so bene- 
ficial as was expected. It was then supposed that 
the granite stone for the monument would be quar- 
ried in Chelmsford, where the supply was generally 
obtained, whence it would be transported by the Mid- 
dlesex Canal to the state prison wharf, where it could 
be hammered and dressed by State labor, and thence 
could be readily teamed as wanted for 'construction. 

The land was principally negotiated for and pur- 
chased in the summer and fall of 1824. In only one 
instance was there recourse to the provisions of the 
Act, and that was the case of a party under guardian- 
ship, who was owner of an undivided sixth part of a 
lot; but Mr. Knowles was of the opinion that in three 
or four other instances, in which the negotiation was 
not completed till the spring of 1825, the power given 
by the Act was a great assistance. 

In August, 1821, Dr. Warren wrote to Mr. Web- 
ster, who was passing his vacation at Sandwich, — he 
had not then acquired his famous farm in Marshfield, — 
for his opinion as to the quantity of land the Associa- 
tion ought to purchase, and how to raise the money 
to pay for it, before the subscriptions came in, and 

13 



9-8 HISTORY OF THE 

upon the extent to which the membership of the Asso- 
ciation shonld be enlarged. To these inquiries was 
sent the following reply, written in a free, familiar 
style, and disclosing graphically the rural, recreative 
life of the great Statesman, while enjoying the Otium 
cum dignitate: — 

Sandwich, Aug. 15. 

My dear Sir, — I received yours yesterday, and have 
shown it to Mr. Blake. For myself, I have always been in 
favor of buying a pretty liberal piece of land, before we 
began onr work. I do not know enough of particulars to 
rely on my own judgment, but am disposed to follow you, 
Mr. Sullivan, and the rest of the gentlemen. I am content, 
therefore, to take a part in the proposed purchases, with a 
limitation, such as you mention, — that ia\y part does not 
exceed one thousand dollars. Mr. Blake authorizes me to say 
the same in his behalf. We are not afraid of loss, unless 
advantage be taken of our pat7'iotism to demand enormous 
prices. 

As to the other suggestion in your letter, the proprietj^ of 
augmenting greatly the numbers of the Corporation, I have 
not heard the pros and cons, and have no fixed opinion on the 
subject. My feeling, however, of expediency — for it is at 
present nothing but an impression — is, that it would be 
desirable to get along without such augmentation if we could. 
But on this point we can confer next week. I shall be likely 
to repose more trust in the judgment of others than in my 
own. 

We are passing away time here not unpleasantly. The 
ladies are very agreeable, and we feel no want of company. 
Some things I like much ; viz., the early rising, early meals, 
early going to bed. Nor Avould speak slightingly of picking, 
catching, and eating birds and fish. I have left all ideas 
behind me except such as are appropriate to the place, — 
such as the places and seasons for trout, &c. As to Mr. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCLVHON. 99 

Blake, he resembles the old Roman soothsayers, being, like 
them, very superstitiously given to watching the flights of 
birds. Mrs. B. and Mrs. W. both send their love, and both 
wish that you would join us for a few days. 

Yours always, 

D. Webster. 

Judge William Prescott also signified his willingness 
to be obligated in the sum of one thousand dollars 
as sm^ety for the Association upon a temporary loan 
for this purpose. Twenty gentlemen, including Mr. 
Webster, Mr. George Blake, and Judge Prescott, 
signed a note with the treasurer, each as surety in 
that sura; and the money was obtained at the Suffolk 
Bank, Sept. 17, 1824, and was repaid one half in 
January, and the other half in February following. 

Mr. Knowles was industriously engaged in negoti- 
ating for the land, and General Sullivan examined 
the titles, and prepared the conveyances. Dr. Warren, 
who at the outset purchased the Russell pasture, a 
tract of nearly three acres, the title of which had been 
in the Russell family for over a century, was reim- 
bursed the cost of his conveyance, $1,250. This land 
descended to Sarah Russell, daughter of James Rus- 
sell; and at her decease, without will, there were so 
many heirs at law, that, by their order, it was put in 
the hands of Charles R. Codman for sale. Kins: Solo- 
mon's Lodge came forward nobly to surrender their 
claims to the land and to their monument, with the 
request that there should be hereafter preserved some 
memorial of it. Their request was granted, as the fol- 
lowing correspondence will show : — 



100 HISTOKY OF THE 

Charlestown, April 8, 1825. 

Gentlemen, — The undersigned are a Committee, ap- 
pointed by King Solomon's Lodge of Free and Accepted 
Masons, in Charlestown, to oifer to your Association the 
monument and its appurtenances, by them erected to the 
memory of Major-General Joseph Warren and his associates, 
slain on the heights of Charlestown in the glorious battle of 
the 17 June, 1775. 

This monument is a j)lain Tuscan pillar, built of wood 
eighteen feet in height, exclusive of the pedestal, which is 
eight feet high, built of stone and brick, the top terminating 
with a gilt urn. On one side of the pedestal is a tablet with 
an inscription commemorative of the battle. It cost, orginally, 
about one thousand dollars. 

In relinquishing their claim, the Committee would state, 
in brief, that the monument was erected by King Solomon's 
Lodge in 1794, having previously obtained a charter of incor- 
poration for the purpose of holding in fee-simple the ground 
on which it is erected. The land was the donation of the 
Hon. James Russell, late of Charlestown. By neglect, no 
deed of conveyance was ever given, and no recorded evidence 
exists of such donation. The Lodge has, however, held quiet 
possession for more than thirty years. But, whatever may 
be the claim thus acquired, it is freely and cordially waived 
in favor of an institution whose object is so national and 
patriotic. At the same time, the Committee cannot but cher- 
ish the hope that some trace of its former existence maj^ be 
hereafter found in the archives of the Bunker Hill Monument 
Association. 

Wishing your patriotic labors may be crowned with 
abundant success, 
We are, gentlemen, your most obedient, humble servants, 

Thomas J. Goodwin, 
Tho-aias Hooper, 
William Going, 

Committee. 

The President and Directors of the B. II. Monument Association. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 101 

Gentlemen, — Your favor of the 8th nit. was duly re- 
ceived by the President and Directors of the Bunker Hill 
Monument Association. I am directed to express to you the 
high sense which the President and Directors entertain of 
the patriotic spirit which originally prompted King Solomon's 
Lodge to the erection of a monument at so early a period, 
and (compared with the resources at command) at so great 
an expense, to the memory of the great and excellent men 
who fell on the 17th of June. Nor are the President and 
Directors less sensible to the very liberal and generous course 
which has been adopted by King Solomon's Lodge in propos- 
ing to cede the monument and their claim to the soil to the B. 
H. M. Association. I am directed, in the name and on behalf 
of the President and Directors, to inform you that this pro- 
posal is gratefully accepted, and that the hope expressed by 
you, " that some trace of its former existence may hereafter 
be found on the archives of the B. H. M. Association," shall 
faithfully be fulfilled. 

You will doubtless be pleased to have it in your power to 
inform the Free and Accepted Masons of King Solomon's 
Lodge, the forerunners of the B. H. M. Association in this 
honorable undertaking, that the best prospect exists of the 
accomplishment, in due season, of a patriotic enterprise, of 
which their Lodge was the first to form the design and to set 
the example. 
I have the honor to be, gentlemen, with the highest respect, 

Edwakd Everett. 

Thomas J. Goodwin, Ch. Com. K. S. Lodge. 

The several grantors of the land to the Association 
were : — 

Nathaniel Austin, for $5,000.00 

Timothy Walker, „ 4,500.00 

Andrew Kettell, „ 2,600.00 

Ephraim Frost, „ 2,200.00 

Paruell Brooks, „ 3,450.00 



102 HISTORY OF THE 

Benjamin Adams, for $1,000.00 

Samuel Spring, „ 600,00 

William Austin, „ . . 400.00 

Heirs of Mary Beaman, „ 2,232.42 

Dr. John C. Warren, „ 1,250.00 

Amount, $23,232.42 

For this sum the Association acquired fifteen acres 
of land, at about $1,550 an acre. We are surprised 
now that the Directors should have ever been charged 
with extravagance, either in buying too much land, 
or in payiug too high a price. ISTone of this land ever 
belonged to the Breed family. Their nearest land to 
the Association's purchase was at least one hundred 
feet distant from its easterly boundary. 

Meanwhile, the Committee were canvassing vigor- 
ously forsubscriptions in Boston. WilliamPhillips, who 
had been Lieutenant Governor of the State from 1812 
to 1823, under the successive administrations of Caleb 
Strong and of John Brooks, headed the subscription 
with one thousand dollars. After him, David Sears 
and Peter C. Brooks subscribed each five hundred 
dollars. The order in which gentlemen should be 
called upon, and in what way they should severally 
be approached, were points of discussion. Colonel 
Perkins was at first strongly of opinion that all sub- 
scriptions should be limited to not exceeding ten 
dollars. Doubtless, it would have been better if that 
sum had been fixed as the fee of membership. Mr. 
Kussell wrote to Mr. Everett to inquire, as if in sur- 
prise, if their handsome copper-plate diploma was 
really to be given to every one who paid five dol- 



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BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 103 

lars ! Many notes on these matters passed between 
the members of the Committee, some of which have 
been preserved. The following from Mr. Everett 
give some idea how he was pressed and occupied by 
this patriotic work, especially when we consider that 
he was then performing his arduous duties of Pro- 
fessor at Cambridge, between which place and Boston 
there were then only two stage-coaches daily : — 

Monday morning. 

Dp:ar Sir^ — I called at your house for the Bunker Hill 
Book, and I attempted to get into your study. On arriving 
at Mr. Hale's, I found you had foi-eseen my wants. 

I have put the book into Mr. Kuhn's hands to-day to Avait 
on Mr. Gray, Mr. Sears, Mr. Thorndike, Colonel and James 
Perkins, and Governor Eustis. He is to wait on the Gov- 
ernor this afternoon. As tlie result of this day's application, 
if favorable, will have a good effect on to-morrow's, I wish 
you could send to Mr. Kuhn's (just back of the State House, 
in Hancock street), about sunset, and get from him a report 
of his doings, and, if favorable, send it to the " Daily 
Advertiser," to appear to-morrow morning. I make no 
apology for asking this trouble, knowing that your heart is 
in the thing. 

Yours, E. Everett. 

I will try to be at E. Brooks's office from half-past eleven 
till twelve this morninsf. 



Boston,. Thursday morning. 

Dear Doctor, — We have got on rather slowly through 
printers' delay. The circular is now circulating. I leave the 
book with you to get Mr. Phillips's subscription. I took the 
book myself to Mr. Walley's office yesterday, but he and Mr. 
Phillips were both at Andover. 



104 HISTORY OF THE 

John Q. Adams goes to Washington Saturday; dines, I 
understand, at John Welles's to-morrow. He has told me he 
wishes to subscribe. I do not dine at Welles's, but am to be 
in town, and will join you and George Blake, or General 
Dearborn, to wait on him with the book. Let me find a note 
from you at Mr. Hale's to-morrow morning. 

Yours truly, E. Everett. 

If you can get at Mr. Adams at any time, do not wait for 
me. 



Boston, Oct. 14, 1824. 

Dear Doctor, — I leave you two notes. Twenty dollars 
would not recompense me for the chagrin of having been 
tardy last evening. 

I Avill do the best to get an account into the papers to- 
morrow, but fear it will not be practicable. On Saturday it 
shall be. 

I will attend to Mr. Webster and the lists, and engage a 

good writer. 

Yours in great truth, 

Edward Everett. 

On Sunday last I sent a special messenger with a labored 
communication (of a printed column and a half) for the 
" Daily Advertiser," on the need of large subscriptions. 
Hale atrociously mislaid it, but has found it, and says it shall 
come out to-morrow. 

The article referred to as having been mislaid by 
Nathan Hale, the renowned editor of the " Adver- 
tiser," of whom Mr. Everett wonld not have ventnred 
to write so familiarly, had he not been his brother-in- 
law, presents the subjects so ably, that it should cer- 
tainly be inserted in this History entire, not only as 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 105 

forming" a part of the Banker Hill literature of the 
time, but as containing ideas upon subscriptions well 
expressed and applicable to all times. 

Bunker Hill Monument. 

Mr. Hale, — I have been much gratified at witnessing the 
favorable reception which the proposal for this monument 
has met with from the public. The subject, it is well known, 
had been often agitated in former years ; and, like many 
other enterprises for the public good, which require much 
time and labor for their execution, without promising any 
private emolument, it seemed to be one of those things des- 
tined to be talked about. 

The zeal, however, with which this object has lately been 
pursued ; the stimulus given to public feeling by the visit of 
the beloved champion of our country ; the approach of the 
fiftieth anniversary of the great events which marked the 
commencement of the Revolution, are circumstances which 
augur very favorably for the execution of the long contem- 
plated project. Nothing seems now to be done but for all, 
who take an interest in this great public work ; for all who 
think America has now reached that point in resource and 
prosperity where the elegant arts ought to receive a gener- 
ous patronage ; for all, who regard the battle of the 17th of 
June as the decisive event in our revolution, and, as such, an 
event whose importance is surpassed by that of no other hu- 
man history, — to consult for the most effectual and proper 
mode of carrying into effect the proposed design. 

As to the general mode of raising a fund sufficient for 
such a work as ought to be erected, it is of course that of 
private contribution. The Commonwealth, it has been 
thought b}^ some persons, ought to take upon itself the erec- 
tion of the monument. But it seems unprofitable to employ 
time in considering what the Commonwealth ought to do, 
when no one can thijik for a moment that they will do it. 
We must take things aj they are, not as they ought to be. 

14 



106 HISTORY OF THE 

A reasonable hope is indeed entertained, that the General 
Court will extend some important j^atronage to the monu- 
ment. By the act of incorporation, after the monument shall 
be completed, the Association are authorized to " assign and 
transfer the same, with the land on which it stands, and the 
appurtenances, to the Commonwealth, and the Commonwealth 
will accept the same." There is no doubt that, in considera- 
tion of the transfer of a costly and valuable work of art, and 
the spacious area on which it is placed, the government of 
the Commonwealth, whose duty it is, by the constitution, to 
encourage " all private societies and public institutions " by 
which the improvement of the country is promoted, will feel 
itself justified in affording liberal aid to the Association ; espe- 
cially as its objects are such as the people of the State, with- 
out distinction of party, cherish and approve. Still, however, 
the great burden must be supported by private contributions ; 
and it is an important question, to those who feel a deep in- 
terest in the work, on what principle the citizens ought to be 
expected to subscribe ; whether a small contribution should 
be expected from every one able to make a small contribu- 
tion, while no one should be allowed to exceed a given sum, 
say ten dollars ; or whether the affluent should be requested 
to make large and generous donations, at the same time, 
however, relying on a general contribution to make up the 
chief part of the funds required. This seems to be the 
alternative presented ; and in an object of this kind, where 
no one can be actuated by any other wish or motive than 
that of doing what is right, it is important that tlie question 
should be duly considered. 

In favor of relying entirely upon small subscriptions, it is 
urged that, from the nature of the object, it ought to be a 
general thing. The sentiments which dictate the erection 
of the monument are common to all, the events commemo- 
rated by it are equally interesting to all ; and therefoi'e the 
burden of the expense should be equall}' borne by all, and 
would be easily defrayed by a general subscription, through- 
oat the Commonwealth, of five or ten dollars. It is also 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 107 

urged, on the same side, that large donations tend to dis- 
courage small ones; that many persons who would cheer- 
fully give their ten or fifteen dollars, if their neighbors gave 
no more, will be unwilling to put down so small a sum, by 
the side of donations of five, two, or one hundred dollars, and 
so will o-ive nothinsc. These are the considerations which I 
have heard in favor of confining the subscrij^tion to small 
sums. 

In favor of looking to the affluent for liberal donations, in 
addition to the smaller sums subscribed by the rest of the 
community, it is urged, in like manner, that the object is a 
general one, and one which ought therefore to have an equal 
support from all. But if no one gives more than ten dollars, 
a very unequal effort is made by the different classes of 
society. To the rich man ten dollars is nothing. It is no 
more than he is willing to give any time for a box at the 
theatre, for an elegantly bound novel, or for two or three 
bottles of rich wine. The industrious farmer who gives ten 
dollars gives a half ton of ha}^ which would have kept his 
cow two months ; the frugal mechanic who gives it, gives a 
month's board of his journeyman. The clerk, the school-mas- 
ter, the country clergyman, the young lawyer and doctor, 
who gives ten dollars, gives from one to two per cent on his 
year's income. If, then, we call on the citizens generally to 
raise the sum required by small subscriptions of five and ten 
dollars we ask of those best able to give a mere trifle, and 
of those least able to give we ask more than they can well 
spare ; and, though the sum may be the same, the burden can 
by no means be said to be equally borne. It is true, it would 
be ridiculous to go to the opposite extreme, and expect the 
affluent to contribute in the full proportion of their means. 
This is not attempted even by the tax-gatherer ; and the 
citizen who counts his million or his half-million is never ex- 
pected to pay toward the burdens of society a sum as burden- 
some to him as the frugal tax of the mechanic is to one who 
labors for his daily bread. Still, however, something like 
a proportion is aimed at ; and it would be absurd to lay an 



108 HISTORY OF THE 

equal tax on all, upon the ground that the protection which 
the government affords is an object of equal interest to all. 

In addition to this, the sum required is too large to be con- 
veniently raised by an exclusive resort to small contributions. 
According to the Circular Letter of the Directors, the column 
proposed will cost thirty-seven thousand dollars, and the land 
cannot be procured under an additional expense of twenty- 
four thousand ; making an aggregate of sixty-one thousand 
dollars, without any allowance for contingencies, which must 
nevertheless be anticipated. Those who are conversant with 
the business of raising large sums of money by subscription 
will probably agree that to raise this amount exclusively by 
small sums would prove a difficult thing. It could no doubt 
be accomplished ; the immense sums raised by some of our 
Missionary institutions, and in a degree from very small con- 
tributions, jDrove that it could be accomplished, though with 
almost incalculable labor and time bestowed in the details 
incident to such attempts. This consideration, we under- 
stand, had its influence on the minds of the gentlemen of 
large fortunes who have already subscribed so liberally tow- 
ard the monument. They did it from a persuasion that, 
without some assistance of this kind, the difficulty of raising 
the requisite funds would be very great ; and, we are much 
inclined to think that, the more the subject is considered the 
more this opinion will prevail. It is under this impression, 
that we entertain a strong desire to see their example sanc- 
tioned by such of our opulent and liberal citizens as have not 
yet had an opportunity of subscribing. 

With respect to the difficulty, that large donations will dis- 
courage small ones, I am inclined to think it of little force. 
In subscribing to this object, the citizen must be actuated by 
such motives as will raise him above this feeling. He gives 
what he can afford to a noble object of patriotic interest. 
Shall he withhold it because a neighbor has been favored by 
Providence with the means of giving more, and, under the 
influence of the same patriotic spirit, is willing to bestow 
according to his ampler means ? I think not. Besides, on 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 109 

the most unfavorable footing, more will doubtless be gained 
by a few large subscriptions than will be lost by discourag- 
ing small ones. It would take two hundred subscriptions at 
five dollars each to make one thousand dollars ; but we can- 
not suppose that two hundred citizens, willhig to give their 
five dollars each, will be deterred from doing it because one 
liberal and affluent neighbor has given a thousand. 

It may just be suggested that, though this event is, in 
many senses, of common and equal interest, yet if there be 
any class peculiarly indebted to the Revolution, and our con- 
sequent independence, it is the rich. As Colonies, though 
our population would not have advanced so rapidly, yet those 
who compose the middling and lower portion of the commu- 
nity, no doubt, would have lived much as they do now, ex- 
cept as to political privileges ; but Avhere would have been 
our great commercial fortunes under the English Navigation 
Act ? M'here our vast manufacturing establishments under 
the prohibition " to manufacture a hobnail " ? Civis. 

The further duty was imposed upon Mr. Everett 
to prepare a circular, to be issued in the name of the 
Directors. This also he found time to do, and did it 
w^ell, as he did every thing which he undertook. Dr. 
Warren declared it ought to be handsomely printed, 
and a copy sent to every respectable house in Boston. 
For the same reason, it deserves a place here : — 

Circular. 

Sir, — It is a matter of public notoriety that, about a year 
since, an act of incorporation was granted by the Legislature 
of the Commonwealth to the Bunker Hill Monument Asso- 
ciation. The gentlemen who applied for and received that 
act of incorporation have no other interest' in the subject 
than what actuates them in common with their fellow-citi- 
zens. They were induced to take this step from the very 



110 HISTORY OF THE 

general private expression of feeling in favor of the erection 
of a monument on the spot alluded to ; from the opinion 
that the suitable time for such an undertaking had now 
arrived ; and from strong assurances received from many 
most respectable persons that, in order to concentrate the 
public sentiment, and ensure a general co-operation towards 
the end in view, it was only necessary that some few individ- 
uals should take upon themselves the unpretending but indis- 
pensable office of formally soliciting the attention of a liberal 
and patriotic community to the subject. 

It would be a very superfluous though a pleasing task to 
insist upon the importance of the event to be commemorated 
in the monument proposed. The action of the 17th of 
June, 1775, is too well known, not merely to Americans, but 
to the readers of history throughout the world, to require 
any attempt at illustration. It ma}^ only be observed that 
this action is most important, considered merely in the aston- 
ishing resistance made by raw militia, badly armed, scantily 
provided with ammunition, facing an enemy for the first time, 
and that enemy the flower of the best troops in the world, 
and actually killing and wounding a number scarcely less 
than the whole of their own engaged. It is still more worthy 
of commemoration when we consider it in its effect on the 
fortunes of tlie war, in teaching the enemy to respect the 
spirit of the people whom he had endeavored to crush, and 
inspiring America herself with the consciousness of her own 
power. Lastly, the spectacle itself presented by the action 
was justly styled by General Burgoyne, who witnessed it 
from Boston, " one of the greatest scenes of war that can be 
conceived," — the re-enforcements moving over the water ; 
the fire of the floating batteries and ships of war ; the flames 
from three hundred houses in Charlestown ; the ascent of the 
British troops, pausing from time to time, as their artillery 
played upon the American works ; the coolness and intrepidity 
with whicli that fire was sustained by our countrymen, and 
the fatal precision with which thc}^ returned it ; the broken 
and recoiling lines of the enemy ; the final retreat of the gal- 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. Ill 

lant band wlio had withstood them ; the tens of thousands 
looking on from the house-tops and steeples and hills of Bos- 
ton and all the neighboring country, and beholding with the 
most conflicting emotions the awful struggle in their yiew. 
It would perhaps be difficult to select in history an event 
more entitled to celebration by the character of the exjDloits, 
its great national effects, its astonishing grandeur, and its 
affecting incidents. 

The spot itself on which this memorable action took place 
is extremely favorable for becoming the site of a monumental 
•structure. Competent judges have pronounced the heights 
of Charlestown to exceed any spot on our coast in their adap- 
tation to the object in view. Their position between the 
Mystic and the Charles, with the expanse of the harbor of 
Boston and its beautiful islands in front, has long attracted 
the notice of the stranger. An elevated monument on this 
spot would be the first landmark of the mariner in his ap- 
proach to our harbor ; while the whole neighboring country, 
comprising the towns of Roxbury, Brookline, Cambridge, Med- 
ford, and Chelsea, with their rich fields, villages, and spires, tlie 
buildings of the University, the bridges, the numerous orna- 
mental country seats and improved plantations, the whole 
bounded by a distant line of hills, and forming a landscape 
which cannot be surpassed in variety and beauty, would be 
spread out as in a picture to tlie eye of the spectator on the 
summit of the proposed structure. 

Nor are these the only natural advantages of the spot. 
Thougli essentially rural in many of its features, it rises 
above one of our most flourishing towns, the seat of several 
important national establishments, where the noble ships of 
war of the American Republic seem to guard the approach 
to the spot where her first martyrs fought and bled. Its 
immediate vicinit}^ to Boston, and its convenient distance 
from Salem, make the access to it direct from the centres of 
our most numerous, wealthy, and active population ; and will 
be the means of keeping continually in sight, or bringing 
frequently to view, to the greatest masses of the community, 



112 HISTORY OF THE 

the imposing memorial of an event which ought never to be 
absent from their memory, as its effects are daily and hourly 
brought home to the business and bosom of every American 
citizen. 

These are a few of the circumstances, very briefly stated, 
which point out the battle of the 17th of June, 1775, as a 
suitable event to be commemorated ; and which illustrate the 
great adaptation of the spot where it was fought to the erection 
of a monumental structure. The present moment seems pecu- 
liarly marked out as auspicious to the enterprise. Fifty years 
have now nearly elapsed since the curtain rose on this mo- 
mentous scene of our national drama. A half of one of those 
great periods by which the history of our race is reckoned 
is drawing to its close, and bringing with it the jubilee of 
our political existence. This long period has laid down in 
the soil which they combined to liberate most of the high- 
minded men who raised their hands or their voices in those 
trying times. A few only remain, the venerable witnesses of 
what we may do to show our gratitude toward those to 
whom we owe all " that makes it life to live," our liberty. 
A few only remain to carry to their compatriots who have 
gone before them the welcome tidings that we tenderly 
cherish their memory, and that we are determined to bestow 
upon it every mark of honorable and grateful respect. The 
presence of these few Revolutionary patriots and heroes 
among us seems to give a peculiar character to this genera- 
tion. It binds us by an affecting association to the mo- 
mentous days, the searching trials, the sacrifices, and dangers, 
to which they were called. The feeble hands and gray hairs 
of those who, before we were living, faced death, that we, 
their children, might be born free, are a sight which this 
generation ought not to behold without emotion ; a sight 
which calls upon us not to delay those public expressions of 
gratitude which soon will be too late for those we would 
most wish to honor. Nor is the present moment, in other 
respects, less adapted to this honorable enterprise. It is a 
time, not indeed of adventurous speculations and dazzling 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 113 

gains, but of steady general prosper! t}''. Dwelling-houses 
and warehouses are rising in unexampled numbers in our 
large towns ; manufactures with equal rapidity, and on the 
most solid footing, are advancing in every district of the coun- 
ty ; and agriculture, the great substantial interest, the basis 
of every other pursuit, is daily assuming an improved, lib- 
eral, and more productive character. It is only when we com- 
pare these well-known features of our present position with 
the general languor, the scanty population, and the poverty 
which existed at the opening of the Revolutionary War, that we 
can do justice to our present prosperity. Nor is this enough. 
Now, in the days of our independence, of our prosperity, of 
our growing internal wealth, of our participation in all the 
the world's commerce, of our enjoyment of every thing 
which can make a people happy, we ought to remember the 
sacrifices and losses of our fathers. No grateful mind can, 
from the fruits of this unexampled welfare, refuse to bestow 
a trifle upon a work proposed as a decent and becoming 
tribute to the memory of the great and good men to whose 
disinterestedness in putting to hazard their property and 
lives we owe our being, our rights, our property, our all. 

In forming an estimate of the cost of the struc- 
ture proposed, a single eye has been had to the principle 
which dictates its erection. Every thing separated from the 
idea of substantial strength and severe taste has been dis- 
carded, as foreign from the grave and serious character both 
of the men and events to be commemorated. With this 
principle in view, it has been ascertained that a monumental 
column, of classical model, with an elevation to make it the 
most lofty in the world, may be erected of our fine Chelms- 
ford granite, for about thirty-seven thousand dollars. The 
nature of the work allows the estimate to be made with great 
accuracy, and little fear of being exceeded. There is also 
ground to hope that such contracts may be made with the 
proprietors of the part of the hill on which the monument 
must stand, as will bring the whole additional expense for 
land within reasonable limits. 

15 



114 HISTORY or THE 

From the interest which has been discovered in this object, 
even in this early stage, by many distinguished citizens of 
Boston, Charlestown, Salem, and other places ; from the dis- 
position which has been everywhere evinced to afford a 
hearty co-operation in the plan, — it has been hoped that 
the corner-stone of the monument may be laid on the 
17th of June next, the day that completes the half-century 
from that on which the battle was fought, and which it is 
proposed to commemorate with every demonstration of re- 
spect, joy, and gratitude, becoming the anniversary of such 
an event. As the entire success of the undertaking depends 
on the zeal with which it may be seconded by a liberal and 
patriotic community, it lias been thought proper that this ad- 
dress should be thus early made ; not with a view of urging 
those considerations, which so obviousl}^ suggest themselves 
to the mind of every American citizen, particularly of this 
State and the vicinity, but merely to bring the subject sea- 
sonably to the public notice. 

The general propriety and expediency of erecting public 
monuments of the kind proposed are acknowledged by all. 
They form not only the most conspicuous ornament with 
which we can adorn our towns and our high places ; but 
they are the best proof we can exhibit to strangers that our 
sensibility is strong and animated toward those great achieve- 
ments and greater characters to which we owe all our na- 
tional blessings. There surely is not one among us who 
would not experience a strong satisfaction in conducting a 
stranger to the foot of a monumental structure rising in 
decent majesty on this memorable spot. 

Works of this kind also have the hai:)piest influence in 
exciting and nourishing the national and patriotic sentiment. 
Our government has been called, and truly is, a government 
of oriNiON ; but it is one of sentiment still more. It is not 
the judgment only of this people which dictates a preference 
of our institutions ; but it is a strong, deep-seated, inborn 
sentiment ; a feeling, a passion for liberty. It is a becoming 
expression of this sentiment to honor, in eveiy way, the 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 115 

memories and character of our fathers ; to adorn a spot where 
their noble blood was spilt, and not surrender it uncared for to 
the plough. Years, it is to be remembered, are rapidly pass- 
ing away ; and the glorious tradition of our national emancipa- 
tion which we received from them will descend more faintly 
to our successors. The patriotic sentiment which binds us 
together more strongly than compacts and constitutions will, 
if permitted, grow cold from mere lapse of time. We owe 
these monuments, therefore, not less to the character of our 
posterity than to the memory of our fathers. These events 
must not lose their interest. Our children, and our cliil- 
dren's children have a right to these feelings, cherished and 
kept warm by a worthy transmission. It is the order of 
nature that the generation to achieve nobly, should be suc- 
ceeded by the generation worthily to record and gratefully to 
commemorate. We are not called to the fire and the sword ; 
to meet the appalling array of armies; to taste the bitter cup 
of imperial wrath and vengeance proffered to an ill-provided 
land. We are chosen for the easier, more grateful, but not 
less bounden dut}^ of commemorating and honoring the la- 
bors, sacrifices, and sufferings of the great men of those dark 
times. 

There is one point of view in which it seems to be 
strongly called upon to engage in the erection of works like 
that proposed. The beautiful and noble arts of design and 
architecture have hitherto been engaged in arbitrary and des- 
potic service. The pyramids and obelisks of Egypt, the mon- 
umental columns of Trajan and Aurelius, have paid no tribute 
to the rights or feelings of man. Majestic or graceful as they 
are, they bear no record but that of sovereignty, sometimes 
cruel and tyrannical, and sometimes mild ; but never that of 
a great, enlightened, and generous people. Providence, 
which has given us the sense to observe, the taste to admire, 
and the skill to execute these beautiful works of art, cannot 
have intended that, in a flourishing nation of freemen, there 
should be no scope for their erection. Our fellow-citizens of 
Baltimore have set us a noble example of redeeming the arts 



116 ' HISTORY OF THE 

to the cause of free institutions in the imposing monument 
they have erected to the memory of those who fell in defending 
their city. If we cannot be the first to set up a structure of 
this character, let us not be otlier than the first to improve 
upon the example ; to arrest and fix the feelings of our gene- 
ration on the important events of an earlier and more mo- 
mentous struggle, and to redeem the pledge of gratitude to 
the high-souled heroes of that trying da}'. 

For a work calculated to appeal, without distinction, to 
every member of the community, we trust we need no apol- 
ogy for respectfully soliciting your co-operation and interest. 
The monument must be erected by the union of all the classes 
and members of society, and the smallest assistance, by con- 
tribution or encouragement, will aid in the great design. 

Daniel Webster, Jesse Putxam, 

H. A. S. Dearborn, Isaac P. Davis, 

Benjamin Gorham, Seth Knowles, 

George Blake, Edward Everett, 

John C. Warren, George Ticknor, 

Samuel D. Harris, Theodore Lyman, Jr., 
William Sullivan, Directors. 

Secretary of the Standing 



Edward Everett, 
Boston, Sept. 20, 1824. 



Committee of the Directors. 



General Dearborn was also instructed bj the 
Standing Committee to pre^jare and publish a notice 
to the public in their name, in all the newspapers in 
the State. This was done in the following style : — 

BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 

The objects of the Bunker Hill Monument Association, and 
the measures which have been taken to achieve them, having 
been made knoAvn b}'- the recent publication of a circular 
letter to the members, — notice is now given, that a sub- 
scription book, headed by the nation's guest. General La- 
fayette, will, in a few days, be presented to the patriotic 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 117 

and liberal citizens of Boston, for contributions, to enable 
us to erect the projected magnificent monument ; and we 
are sanguine that the result will be honorable to their mu- 
nificence. 

The citizens of every town in the Commonwealth are 
respectfully and most earnestly requested to call meetings 
and appoint committees, to collect subscriptions and transmit 
the sums, with the names of the donors, to Nathaniel P. 
Russell, Esq., the Treasurer of the Association. 

Every person who subscribes five dollars will be entitled to 
become a member of the Association, and will receive a richly 
engraved certificate of admission, embellished with a vignette 
of the Battle of Bunker Hill; and all persons who subscribe 
one dollar will have their names inscribed on the records, and 
deposited in tlie archives of the Association. 

It would be supererogation to remind our fellow-citizens 
of the interesting events which immediately preceded the 
Battle of Bunker Hill, or to dwell on the glorious results of 
that ever-memorable action. It united a whole people in the 
cause of liberty, and roused to arms those determined cham- 
pions who triumphantly achieved our national independence. 

From the heights of Charlestown went forth that spirit of 
freedom which cheered and upheld the statesman and soldier 
during the darkest and most stormy periods of the Hevolu- 
tiou. Our advancement in the arts, sciences, and literature ; 
our progress in agriculture ; the establishment of manufac- 
tories ; the vast range of our commerce ; all the comforts 
and embellishments of society ; and our grand career in 
the march of nations, — take their date from the 17th of 
June, 1775. 

Let us, then, generously do honor to those gallant sol- 
diers who, on that eventful day, unsheathed their swords in 
defence of the rights of man, and whose battle-cry was, 
" Liberty or Death." 

By order of the Standing Committee of the Directors of the 
Bunker Hill Monument Association. 

H. A. S. Dearborn, Chairman. 



118 HISTORY OF THE 

A general public meeting was held at the Marlbor- 
ough Hotel, on the 13th of October, at which it was 
finally, on motion of General Sullivax, amended on 
the proposal of H. 11. Fuller, Esq., voted to choose 
a committee of thirteen to appoint and organize the 
Ward Committees, in such manner as shonld seem 
most expedient. The following gentlemen were ac- 
cordingly appointed a committee of thirteen, being one 
from each Ward, and one from South Boston: Henry 
J. Oliver, Gedney King, Benjamin Smith, H. H. Fuller, 
G. W. Otis, Nathan Appleton, Abbott Lawrence, 
Joseph P. Bradlee, Josiah Bradlee, Amos Lawrence, 
Gerry Fairbanks, John D. Williams, and Cyrus Alger. 

This meeting was attended by Dr. Wan-en, and Mr. 
Everett, who was pressed into the service as Secretary. 

Mr. Oliver afterwards made report to Franklin Dex- 
ter, Secretary, of which the following is an extract: — 

Lynn Street, Nov. 27, 1824. 

Sir, — On the 15th ultimo, I received a letter from Edward 
Everett, Esq., secretary of a " meeting of gentlemen friendly 
to the erection of a Monument on Bunker Hill," commu- 
nicating to me an appointment on a committee for the purpose 
of selecting and organizing Ward Committees, to solicit sub- 
scriptions for said object ; and requesting my attendance at 
the Marlboro' Hotel, to proceed to the necessary duties, &c. : 
at which place the gentlemen of said committee attended, 
and proceeded to business ; the Board being organized by 
the appointment of Nathan Appleton, Esq., as chairman, and 
the subscriber as secretary. After a discussion of the subject 
upon which they were convened, the Board proceeded to the 
nomination of six persons in each ward, and three for South 
Boston, to solicit subscriptions. ... 

Henry J. Oliver, 

Secretary to the Board of Nominating Committee. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 119 

At the close of nine months' deliberation and inces- 
sant labor on the part of the Standing Committee, 
Mr. Everett drew np the following snmmary of their 
doings, which was presented as their report to the 
whole Board of Directors : — 

Report of the Standing Committee to the Directors, March 1, 1825. 

In consequence of the inconvenience experienced by the 
whole body of Directors in attending meetings as frequently 
as the affairs of the Association appeared to require, it was 
determined, at a meeting of the Directors held at the Boston 
Exchange Coffee House July 27, 1824, that a Standing Com- 
mittee should be appointed, which was done by the following 
votes ; viz. : — 

" That a Standing Committee of the Directors, to the 
number of five, be appointed to exercise the powers of the 
Directors in managing the affairs of the Association, and that 
this committee be authorized to call a meeting of the Direc- 
tors whenever it may be needful to consult them. 

" That this committee consist of Gen. H. A. S. Dearborn, 
Dr. Warren, E. Everett, Geo. Blake, Esq., and S. D. Harris." 

The committee raised by this vote immediately entered 
upon the discharge of their duty. 

The first object that engaged their attention was the pro- 
curing the transfer to the Association of the funds of the 
Washington Benevolent Society, which was shortly accom- 
plished through the exertions of the friends of the Associa- 
tion, and the liberality of the officers and members of the 
Washiiigton Benevolent Society. The very handsome sum 
of near $2,000, with the banners of the Washington Benevo- 
lent Societ}^, and other interesting articles, were thus jirocured 
to the Association. 

The acquisition of the land required for the objects of the 
Association, on the hill where the battle was fought, next 
engaged the attention of the Standing Committee, as an 
object of primary interest. In the prosecution of this object, 



120 HISTORY OF THE 

considerable delay and some difficulties were encountered. A 
portion of the land was procured on fair terms ; for another 
portion, it became necessary to pay an exorbitant price ; 
while, for a small quantity, it was requisite to receive legisla- 
tive aid, which was afforded by the act lately passed. In 
pursuing the measures for procuring the land, the Standing 
Committee were desirous of availing themselves of the coun- 
sel of the whole body of Directors. The Board was accord- 
ingly convened Sept. 13, 1825, and sanctioned the acts of the 
Standing Committee in reference to this, one of the most 
important parts of their duty. The Standing Committee are 
under particular obligations to sevei'al gentlemen, through 
whose services and good offices they were enabled to effect 
the acquisition of the land, particularly to the Hon. Setli 
Knowles. 

No steps had hitherto been taken toward engaging the 
interest of the community in general in the objects of the 
Association, with a view to raising the funds necessary to 
effecting those objects. Besides an appeal to the public in 
the form of an Address, it was thought expedient very con- 
siderably to enlarge the numbers of the Association by elect- 
ing additional members, and also to entitle every one to the 
privilege of membership who should subscribe to the fund of 
the Institution five dollars and upwards. In furtherance of 
this part of the plan, an engraved certificate of membership 
was prepared. 

In this stage of the proceedings, the arrival of General 
Lafayette seemed to offer a favorable opportunity of drawing 
the public attention to the monument, in connection with 
this illustrious stranger. The shortness of the notice not 
admitting ver}^ adequate preparation for this purpose, it was 
only in the power of the committee to procure a partial meet- 
ing of the Directors on the top of Bunker Hill, where the 
objects of the Association were explained to the General ; 
and he promised to attend the celebration of the 17th of next 
June. 

In proceeding upon the very important business of procur- 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 121 

ing subscriptions to the funds, the committee thought it their 
duty to act with the prudence and consideration required by 
the delicacy and magnitude of that part of their trust. Let- 
ters were addressed to gentlemen conspicuous for their wealth 
and liberality, and with very gratifying results. Esteeming 
it, then, desirable to give a powerful movement to the Insti- 
tution, a meeting of active, liberal, and public-spirited gen- 
tlemen, including the Board of Directors, was called, at 
which a Central Committee was appointed, and authorized to 
organize Ward Committees throughout the city. These 
measures were carried into effect with regularity, prompt- 
ness, and decision. The gentlemen of the Central and Ward 
Committees bestowed much time, and conferred very signal 
benefits, on the Association ; and an estimated sum of 
$25,000 has been raised in the city. 

The collecting of subscriptions in other parts of the Com- 
monwealth next engaged the attention of the Standing 
Committee. Particular application was made to the town 
of Charlestown, as more nearly interested in the success of 
the undertaking; and a very liberal spirit has been disclosed 
on the part of its citizens. To every toAvn in the Common- 
wealth was sent a subscription-book, addressed to the select- 
men, containing a statement of the principles, views, and 
objects of the Association, drawn up, at the request of the 
committee, by General Sullivan, to whose services in prepar- 
ing and circulating this Address with the subscription-books, 
as well as in procuring the land and organizing the Ward 
Committees, the Association is under great obligations. A 
copy of the same Address was also forwarded to the clergy- 
men of the Commonwealth, for the purpose of being read on 
the day of the general thanksgiving. In furtherance of this 
part of the operations, the members of the Council, Senate, 
and House of Representatives were elected members of the 
Association. Partial returns onl}' have been received from 
towns in the State. The estimated amount of subscrip- 
tions, in the towns heard from, is about -$20,000. 

The committee next directed their attention to the other 

16 



122 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 

States, in and out of New England. They have opened a 
correspondence with citizens of Maine, New Hampshire, Con- 
necticut, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charleston, and 
with American citizens in Europe. They have still this part 
of their duty in train, and are as yet unable to ascertain with 
what probable result. 

On the meeting of the General Court of the Common- 
wealth, a petition was presented by the committee, request- 
ing legislative aid in procuring a portion of the land needed, 

— a donation of Hancock and Adams, the brass field-pieces, 

— and an amount of labor in hammering stone at the State's 
Prison. These objects were all obtained, the latter to the 
amount of $10,000. 

In reference to the erection of a monument, two or three 
plans have been offered to the committee, particularly an 
elaborate one b}* Mr. Solomon Willard. The committee have 
deemed it expedient to offer a reward of •$ 100 for the best 
plan that shall be presented. 

The foregoing is not submitted to the Directors as a com- 
plete history of the doings of the committee : a great many 
details, attended with care and labor at the time, but not of 
consequence to be mentioned now, are omitted. The com- 
mittee have only endeavored to present the leading features 
of their course in discharging the duty intrusted to them 
thus far ; and shall be happy if the Directors think that 
hitherto the objects for which the committee was raised have 
been, in any due degree, attained. They hope to be able to 
present hereafter a favorable account of the final result of 
the subscription in this Commonwealth and in other places, 
both in and out of New England. 

Edwaed Everett, Secretary. 




CHAPTEE YII. 

Let it rise till it meet the sun in his coming ; let the earliest light of 
the morning gild it, and parting day linger and play on its summit. 

DAOTEL WEBSTER was appointed at the first 
annual meeting of the Association, after its 
organization, held in 1824, to deliver the annnal ad- 
dress on the 17th Jnne, 1825, without reference to 
the laying of the corner-stone of the monument, or 
to the day being the half-century anniversary of the 
battle. It was simply in pursuance of the following 
vote passed at the same meeting, — " That there shall 
be an address annually delivered before the Associa- 
tion on the seventeenth day of June, to commemorate 
the Battle of Bunker Hill, and that a citizen shall be 
chosen at each annual meeting to make such ad- 
dress at the next annual meeting, and that the Direc- 
tors be authorized to supply the vacancy, if any should 
occur." 

At the meeting of Directors held on the 13th of 
July following, the Secretary was instructed to com- 
municate the above vote to Mr. Webster; and, at a 
meeting held on the 27th of the same month, the Sec- 
retary, Edward Everett, reported that he had done so. 
At the meeting on the 13th July, a Committee of 
Arrangements for the celebration of June 17th, 1825, 



124 HISTORY OF THE 

was chosen, consisting of tlie following gentlemen 
(twelve in number) : George Blake, William Sulli- 
van, S. D. Harris, Theodore Lyman, Jr., Samuel 
Swett, H. A. S. Dearborn, Seth Knowles, T. Harris, 
J. T. Austin, H. Orne, I. P. Boyd, and Benjamin 
Russell. Mr. Austin having declined, F. J. Oliver 
was afterwards chosen in his place. 

The first acknowledgment made by Mr. Webster 
of this invitation appears indirectly in the following 
letter wi'itten by Mr. Ticknor while at Washington, 
who, being a Director, and also a particular friend of 
Lafayette, took special interest in the occasion he 
anticipated: — 

Washington, Jan. 13, 1825, 

My deae. Sir, — I have conversed, at different times lately, 
a good deal with Mr. Webster, about the oration for the sev- 
enteenth of June. He has been undecided, until within a 
few days ; but last evening he told me he was determined to 
do it, and desired me to let some of the Trustees know his 
resolution. No one is more interested than j^ourself, and 
therefore I place the information at your disposition. You 
may consider it decided, for he does. 

General Lafayette will be with you also. At least, in all 
his arrangements for the West, he makes it a sine qua non 
that he shall be delivered in Boston on the 15th of June. I 
know not, therefore, why we should fail to have one of the 
most solemn ceremonies that has happened since Pericles 
made liis funeral oration in the Ceramicus. 

Yours very faithfully, 

Geo. Ticknor. 

The following from Mr. Webster was probably 
written in reply to certain suggestions that Dr. War- 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 125 

reii had made to him after the receipt of Mr. Tieknor's 
letter: — 

Washington, Jan. 26, 1825. 

My deae, Sir, — I have received yours of the 19th. I do 
not see (if you do not) any objection to let things rest as they 
are till I come home. I shall be home, doubtless, three months 
before the 17th June, which will be in season for any arrange- 
ment. You seem to be going on finely; though I doubt 
whether the State will do much. I think the subscriptions 
look well. 

If it occurs to you as being proper that I should say or do 
any thing before I come home, please let me know ; otherwise, 
let all things remain as they are. 

Yours always truly, 

D. Webster. 

It should be here stated that Mr. Everett was at 
this time the representative elect to the Nineteenth 
Congress, which was to be convened on the first 
Monday of December, 1825, daring the first year of 
the administration of John Qnincy Adams. He was 
nominated at a convention of citizens, held, without 
distinction of party, in October, 1821:, in Lexington. 
His active efforts in behalf of the Monument Associa- 
tion had brought him in contact with the leading men 
of the Middlesex District, such as Mr. Knowles of 
Charlestovvn, and other members of the Legislature, 
to whom he had applied to fiivor the Association's 
Petition. In the Address sent out to the selectmen of 
the several towns, a promise was made that the Asso- 
ciation would contribute of its funds to the erection 
of a monument in Concoi'd, and her inhabitants sub- 
scribed about four hundred dollars, as they claimed, 



126 HISTORY OF THE 

in view of that offer. Mr. Everett was nrgeiitly in- 
vited by them to deliver an oration at Concord on the 
approaching 19th of April, when the corner-stone of 
the proposed monument should be laid. It appears 
by the following letter to Doctor Warren that the 
matter was not fully decided until a very short time 
before that anniversary : — 

Cambridge, March 2, 1825. 

Dear Doctor, — As Governor Brooks is to be buried to- 
morrow, and it is proper I should attend the funeral, I would 
propose to defer our meeting till Saturday. 

I found more difficulty at Concord than I expected ; nor 
is the thing yet settled. I wish you would come to the meet- 
ing on Saturday, prepared to speak decisively as to making a 
grant of |500 for a monument there. Not a word was said- 
on the subject by or to me. They told me, if I would not 
come, there would be no celebration. 

Yours ever sincerely, 

E. Everett. 

Mr. "Webster seems to have been not a little dis- 
turbed by the proposed celebration in advance of the 
Bunker Hill occasion, and also by the statement gen- 
erally made in the newspapers, that General Lafaj^ette 
was to lay the corner-stone of the monument. 

March 6. 

Dear Sir, — I have received your two letters, and am 
obliged to you for your kindness. The papers state, I perceive, 
that Mr. Everett makes an address at Concord, although I un- 
derstood your letter differently. Doubtless you are right, and 
the editors all wrong. For my part, I do not see the propri- 
ety of a series of skirmishes on the occasion : that would be 
fighting our battles over again, somewhat too literally. If 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 127 

IVTr. E. be in truth to make a speech at Concord, let him say 
all that the whole subject requires, and we will lay our cor- 
ner-stone without the pomp of words. But I suppose you 
are better informed in this matter ; but your letter, being 
parti}'' covered in the material words by the wax, leaves me 
a little in doubt whether I understand you. To-morrow I 
shall know. 

As to General Lafayette, my opinion is that we ought to 
treat with all the frankness in the world one of the frankest 
men in the world. I should say, therefore, that a letter 
ought at once to be written to him, confidentially, stating 
the present posture of the business. His sense of propriety, 
quick beyond that of most others, would see this affair in- 
stantly in its right light. Mr. Ticknor can write him such a 
letter. It would meet him at N. Orleans, if written soon. 
For my own part, my opinion as to the course proper to be 
pursued is pretty strong. It may perhaps oblige me, in 
some possible events, to decline any part in this ceremony, in 
order to avoid unworthy suspicions of personal motives ; but 
it is not likely to be given up. I will communicate farther 
on my arrival ; and would not now have said any thing, but 
from the belief that it might be necessary to write to the 
good General soon. 

Yours always, 

D. Webstee. 

I have no objections to your showing this to Mr. Ticknor ; 
sed ne plus ultra. 

It is not surprising that Mr. Webster should, at the 
first thought, shrink from following Mr. Everett on 
the 17tli of June, 1825, upon almost the same ground, 
if he should pronounce a commemorative discourse 
on the 19th April preceding. The oi-ation which Mr. 
Everett had delivered in 1821:, before the Phi Beta 
Kappa Society in Cambridge, in the presence of 



128 HISTORY OF THE 

Lafayette, and in which he extended to him a glowing 
welcome, so thrilled and carried away the audience 
that its praise was in every one's mouth, and the pop- 
ular judgment was that it was the grandest display of 
eloquence that had been witnessed in this country. 
The only popular or commemorative address which 
Mr. Webster had before given was delivered in Ply- 
mouth, on the Bicentennial Anniversary of the landing 
of the Pilgrims, in December, 1820, in the former 
meeting-house of the First Church; and it is stated 
that the day before he was much depressed through 
fear of not meeting the public expectation. 

Mr. Webster was somehow reassured, and in the 
result the public had the benefit of an oration from 
each of these great orators, — one at Concord, and 
the other at Bunker Hill. Whatever friendly rivalry 
there might have been seemed only to stimulate each 
to exert his utmost ability, and to render the celebra- 
tions of the two semi-centennial anniversaries marked 
precedents for future observances. 

The death of Ex-Governor Brooks, which occurred 
March 1, caused a vacancy in the ofiice of President 
of the Association. The Directors assigned April 12 
for the choice of a successor. When Mr. Webster 
was elected, Mr. Everett, Secretary of the Standing 
Committee, having charge of the correspondence, 
was requested by Mr. Dexter to act for him as Secre- 
tary of the Corporation, and a vote of the Directors 
was passed to that effect. William Prescott, Gov- 
ernor Wolcott of Connecticut, Governor Morrill of 
New Hampshire, Peter C. Brooks, David Sears, 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 129 

Nathaniel Silsbee, Loammi Baldwin, and John 
Welles were added to the list of Directors. Mr. 
Brooks having declined, Colonel Daniel Putnam, of 
Brooklyn, Connecticut, was elected in his place, 
who, on being notified, returned the following 

reply: — 

Brooklyn, 16 May, 1825. 
Hon. Mk. Everett. 

Sir, — Your letter of the 13th ultimo was just a month 
travelling from Cambridge to Brooklyn. I mention this cir- 
cumstance to account for the delay of making my acknowl- 
edgment for such an unexpected honor as has been conferred 
on me by the Bunker Hill Monument Association. 

While tracing this measure to my descent, and reflecting 
on the unanimity with which you are pleased to say I was 
elected a member of the Board of Directors, I feel a confi- 
dence in the disposition of the Association to do justice to the 
memory of my father, which puts my mind quite at ease on 
that subject. Circumstances of an unpleasant nature have 
made this the paramount object of my solicitude ; and if I am 
permitted the happiness of a meeting on an anniversary 
glorious to our country, and honorable to the brave who 
defended it on the heights of Charlestown, I hope neither 
jealousy nor envy will mar the good feelings which ought to 
predominate on the occasion. 

I have the honor to be, most respectfully, 

Your obedient and obliged servant, 

Daniel Putnam. 

At a meeting of the Directors, held March 1, it 
was — 

Voted, That, whereas an impression prevails that General 
Lafayette has been requested to lay the corner-stone of the 
monument, which impression is unfounded, the Standing 
Committee be requested to communicate with the General 
on the subject, in such a way as they shall judge expedient. 

17 



130 HISTORY OF THE 

The delicate task of preparing this letter was of 
course put upon Mr. Everett, who had also to satisfy 
the demand of Concord for her share of the snb- 
cription money which was improvidently promised in 
General Sullivan's circular to the Selectmen of the 
towns. Mr. Everett reported to Doctor Warren on 
both subjects in the following letter, in which there 
is also a suggestion with regard to the celebration of 
Bunker Hill: — 

Dear Doctor, — I enclose you the Lafayette letter as I 
have finally drafted it. My mind misgives me about sending 
it, but my scruples ought not to Aveigh. It is my opinion 
that, if we mean to save the General's feelings, he must help 
lay it ; and, if so, no letter need be sent. Nevertheless, if 
you say the word, two copies are signed, sealed, and ready 
to go off by to-morrow's mail. I concluded not to send the 
certificate, as it would get crushed. 

I enclose a letter from Concord. I propose to Avrite to 
them: 1. That the Association stand ready at any time to 
pay $500 ; 2. That they recommend it to the Selectmen (if 
they deem it expedient) to raise an additional subscription ; 
3. That the Association will furnish a plan as soon as practi- 
cable ; 4. As the plan will undoubtedly be of a column or 
obelisk of — say eight feet square at the base, there will be 
no objection to preparing the ground to lay a corner-stone, at 
least pro /orm^, on the 19th of April; 5. That the Associa- 
tion request the Selectmen of C. to superintend the work. 

Something precise of this kind they will expect by wa}' of 
answer. The next thing is to get a plan. Will it do in the 
state of Willard's feelings to go to him, and ask him to make 
one ? if not, would 3^ou apply to Baldwin ? I think an obelisk 
of a solid shaft, say 18 feet on a base of 5 or 6, all of granite, 
could be had for the money, and would be the scyfest thing to 
venture on. Shall I hear from you by the afternoon's stage ? 
Yours ever very truly, Edward Everett. 

Cambridge, Friday, March 25, 1825. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 131 

P. S. A thought has struck me lately. You will excuse 
me, if it is wholly improper. Would it not be in itself highly 
suitable, and add extremely to the interest of the 17th of 
June, if the remains of your uncle, as far as they can be 
identified, should be collected in a funeral urn, borne in the 
procession, and deposited under the monument ? 

On March 22, General Sullivan wrote: "A meet- 
ing is to be held at General Lyman's this evening to 
arrange for the 17th June. The principal subject of 
discussion will be the practicability of representing 
the battle ; and, 2d, if practicable, the utility and ex- 
pediency of doing it. Certainly these are debatable 
points." It was not uncommon at that time, at the 
fall musters of the militia, to have what were called 
sham fights, or representations of a battle by the 
troops. And on the 19th of October, the anniversary 
of Yorktown, and of the close of the Revolutionary 
War, the event was frequently celebrated by the 
getting up of a " CornAvallis," or the representation 
of the suri'ender of his army to Washington, at 
which these characters would be personated. 

The Committee of twelve made the followino: re- 
port, which was accepted : — 

The Committee for that purpose beg leave to report the 
following arrangements for the Celebration of the 50th Anni- 
versary of the Seventeenth of June, 1775 : — 

1. The officers and members of the Bunker Hill Monument 
Association to assemble at the New Court House at nine 
o'clock, A.M., and make the organization for the ensuing 
year ; after which tlie officers will proceed to their room in 
the Subscri^^tion House. 

2. A committee of five to be chosen to wait on General 
Lafayette on his arrival in this city ; inform him of the ar- 



132 HISTORY OF THE 

rangements ; and on the morning of the 17th of June 
conduct hmi to the room of the Association, immediately 
after the officers shall have there assembled. 

3. The officers of the Association to proceed to the State 
House at ten o'clock. 

4. The members of the Association, officers and soldiers 
who were in the battle of Bunker Hill, and of the Revolution, 
the Freemasons, the subscribers to the dinner, and invited 
guests, to assemble at the State House at ten o'clock. 

5. The escort to be formed and move from the State House 
at half past ten, proceeding through Park, Common, Market, 
Union, and Hanover Streets to Charlestown, and through 
Maine, Salem, and High Streets to the battle ground. 

6. The Commander of the escort to fix lines and place 
a guard round the site of the monument, within which the 
officers and members of the Association and all invited guests 
will be admitted. 

7. The corner-stone to be laid under the direction of the 
Committee, which has been charged with that dutj", and which 
will make all the arrangements therefor, including those with 
the Freemasons. When the stone has been laid, the Com- 
mander of the escort will cause a salute of twenty-four guns 
to be fired. 

8. The procession to be reformed, and proceed through 

Streets to Doctor Morse's meeting-house, where the 

Committee for that purpose will make all the necessary 
arrangements for the performances. 

9. The procession to reform and proceed through 

Streets to the tent where the dinner shall have been provided. 

10. The arrangements of the dinner to be under the direc- 
tion of the Committee appointed for that purpose, which is 
authorized to increase its numbers to such an extent as may 
be deemed necessary. 

The following are the regulations for carrying the above 
arrangements into effect : — 

1. The Committee for tlie escort will invite such officers 
and independent companies as may be necessary for that 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 133 

purpose; procure the powder for the salutes; appoint the 
marshals, and obtain civil officers for preserving order at the 
State House, during all the movements of the procession, and 
on the battle ground, and to aid such as the Meeting-House 
Committee shall provide ; and, if necessary, to be placed 
under the direction of the Dinner Committee, to assist those 
which may have been selected for the police of the tent. 

2. The Meeting-House Committee will request some persons 
to write odes or hymns, procure music, chaplains, and do all 
that may be necessary for the performance of the ceremonies 
at the meeting-house. 

3. The Dinner Committee to provide a tent and dinner for 
such number of persons as shall be found expedient, at some 
place near Breed's Hill ; request some of our most distin- 
guished poets to write odes and songs, and engage gentlemen 
to sing them ; prepare toasts ; procure music ; furnish tick- 
ets ; appoint marshals and assistants ; and do whatever may be 
requisite for rendering the entertainment such as the occa- 
sion requires. A tent guard to be furnished by the Comman- 
der of the escort, and placed under the Chairman of the 
Committee. 

4. An Executive Committee of three to be chosen to act 
for the whole Committee of Arrangements hereafter, which 
shall publish the order of arrangements for the day ; give, 
under the directions of the Directors, such invitations as may 
be extended to Revolutionary officers and soldiers, and gentle- 
men of distinction, who may either be present or it shall be 
proper to notice, living in or out of the State ; receive re- 
ports from the sub-committees, and, when necessary, report 
to the Directors ; receive all bills, and, after passing the same, 
transmit them to the Treasurer for payment ; and have a 
general superintendence of the ceremonies of the day. 

5. It is recommended that the following gentlemen be 
invited by the Executive Committee : — 

Lafayette. Goveiinor. 

govehnous of the five other lieutenant governor. 

New England States. Executive Council. 



134 HISTORY OF THE 

President of Senate. Judges of Supreme Court. 

Speaker of House. Judges of United States 

Navy Commandment. Court. 

Senators of United States. President of College. 
Representatives of Congress Army Commandment. 

of United States. Grand Master Mason. 

Survivors of Battle, without distinction as to ability to buy 

tickets. 

6. The Chairman of the Escort, Meeting-House, Corner- 
stone, and Executive Committees to be furnished with a 
copy of these regulations. 

Geo. Blake, 

Chairman of the Committee of Arrangements for the Vlth June. 

This report was modified afterwards, in some re- 
spects. The annual meeting for organization was 
called at six o'clock on the morning of the 17th, at 
which Mr. Everett was unanimously elected secretary; 
and then the meeting was adjourned to the 24:th. 
The officers and members of the Association, and in- 
vited guests, assembled at the State House. The 
Meetiug-House Committee, which consisted of Mr. 
Knowles, Mr. Lawrence, and Colonel Swett, were 
instructed to consider the expediency of providing 
seats on the hill for the exercises, as it was evident 
from the general interest felt that this would be the 
only place for the vast assembly. 

The Standing Committee were instructed to pro- 
cure a suitable corner-stone for the ceremony; but 
the subject of measures proper to be taken at the 
laying of the corner-stone was referred to a com- 
mittee consisting of General Sullivan, General Ly- 
man, and Dr. Warren. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 135 

That Committee reported on May 10th as fol- 
lows : — 

The Committee appointed to make arrangements for laying 
the corner-stone of the monument on the 17 June beg leave 
to report in part : — 

That, if the plan of a monument be definitely settled in 
time, the north-east angle of the foundation be prepared, and 
raised as high as tlie surface of the earth ; and that, if it be 
not settled, then an angle of the foundation shall be prepared 
as near the expected situation as possible, and raised suffi- 
ciently to receive the stone, which shall form the south-east 
angle above the surface of the earth. 

That a stone of proper magnitude be procured for this pur- 
pose, and an excavation made therein to contain the following 
articles, and such others as it may be thought best to deposit 
therein; viz., a silver plate containing the name or names of 
the person or persons who may perform the ceremony of lay- 
ing the corner-stone ; the names of the officers of the Bunker 
Hill Monument Association ; of the Standing Committee ; of 
the Directors ; of the Committee of Artists ; of the President 
of the United States and Governor of the Commonwealth ; 
of the principal architect of the monument ; and of such 
others as may be added by the Directors. Also, that the printed 
book of subscribers to the monument be deposited therein ; a 
history of its origin and foundation ; a certificate of mem- 
bers ; the various addresses made to the public ; histories of 
the battles of Bunker Hill and of Lexington ; and such other 
papers as may be judged proper. 

All these articles, being placed in a box, shall be deposited 
in the excavation prepared for the purpose ; and another por- 
tion of the corner-stone shall be placed on the inferior portion 
by the person or persons who shall perform the ceremony of 
laying the corner-stone ; and immediately the two portions of 
stone shall be secured to each other by such means as shall 
prevent any change in the relative position of the two pieces, 
until the monument shall be destroyed. 



136 HISTORY OF THE 

Further, your Committee beg leave to report that, as the 
Bunker Hill Monument is to be erected at the expense and 
by the labors of this Association, it is becoming that the 
corner-stone should be laid by this Association, through the 
medium of their first officer, the President of this Association ; 
and as the distinguished friend of this country, General La- 
fayette, is expected to honor this anniversary celebration by 
his attendance, that he be invited to accompany the Presi- 
dent of this Association, and to assist in the ceremony of lay- 
ing the corner-stone of the monument ; and, moreover, as the 
Freemasons of King Solomon's Lodge [of this State] have, at 
their expense, erected the monument now standing on Bunker 
Hill, which is to be removed, that, as a mark of respect to 
this fraternity for tlieir patriotism and liberality, the principal 
Grand Master be invited to assist the President of this Asso- 
ciation in laying the corner-stone, and seeing that it be placed 
in a workmanlike manner ; and that the Freemasons of this 
and other States be invited to attend, with their insignia, &c. 

If these ]3ropositions should be adopted, the Committee will 
jjroceed in arranging the details, and make further report. 

All which is submitted by the Committee. 

Wm. Sullivan, Chairman. 

On considering this report, it was voted that a 
committee of two be raised to wait upon the Hon. 
Mr. Webster, President of the Association, and con- 
fer with him on the subject of hiying the corner- 
stone in Masonic order. Messrs. Oliver and Prescott 
were appointed of this committee ; and, having re- 
tired to confer with the President, so the record states, 
made report that the President approves of having 
the corner-stone laid by the Grand Lodge of Masons; 
and thereupon the report of the committee for lay- 
ing the corner-stone was amended, so that the last 
paragraph shall read as follows: "The Committee 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 137 

beg leave further to report, as the clistmguished guest 
of our country, General Lafayette, is expected to 
honor the celebration with his presence, that he be 
invited to accompany the President and assist in 
the ceremony; and, as the fraternity of Masons of 
King Solomon's Lodge have erected the monument 
now standing on the hill, as a mark of respect for 
their liberality and patriotism, the Most Worshipful 
Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts 
be invited to lay the corner-stone, and see that it 
be jDlaced in a workmanlike manner, and to request 
the Freemasons of this and of other States to attend, 
with their insignia and badges." 

The original Committee of twelve being discharged, 
the Executive Committee for the celebration was 
made to consist of General Sullivan, General Lyman, 
Colonel Harris, and Mr. Knovvles. It was ordered, 
June 8, that General Lyman have the exclusive con- 
trol of the procession on the 17th June, and that 
the Executive Committee be directed to aid him in 
such manner as he may desire, and that the said 
Committee have full power to afford such aid in what- 
ever relates to the anniversary celebration. 

The Standing Committee were obliged to procure 
a corner-stone for the occasion before the form and 
size of the structure could be determined upon. In 
the uncertainty whether the stone itself would form 
a permanent part of the monument, they intended 
to be sure that the box containing the articles de- 
posited should be incorporated with it. Captain 
Alexander Paris, an architect of high reputation, who 

18 



138 HISTORY OF THE 

had faniished complete designs for the monument, 
was employed to prepare the stone, the box, and 
the plate of inscription. He also acted as the 
official architect (none other having been then ap- 
pointed) to receive the working tools from the Grand 
Master at the Masonic ceremony, with the injunc- 
tion to see that the structnre was laid in a true 
and workmanlike manner, and to make the customary 
reply. This he did acceptably in Masonic style. 

Dr. Warren suggested the following inscription for 
the plate : — 

Erected by the present generation to testify their venera- 
tion, commemorate the noble spirit which animated their 
fathers to shed their blood on this sacred soil, and thus to 
afford an example for the imitation of their own countrymen, 
and for the defenders of freedom in all countries and all 
ages. 

This structure was begun on the 17th June, 1825, in pres- 
ence of the officers of the Bunker Hill Monument Association, 
by the Grand Master of Freemasons, and the friend of the 
United States, General Lafayette (with the list of officers, &c.). 

On consideration, it was determined to adopt the 
following 

INSCEIPTION. 

On the XVII day of June, MDCCCXXV, at the request 
of the Bunker Hill Monument Association, the Most Wor- 
shipful John Abbott, Grand Master of Masons in Massachu- 
setts, did, in the presence of General Lafayette, lay this 
corner-stone of a Monument to testify the gratitude of the 
present generation to their fathers, who, on the 17th of June, 
1775, here fought, in the cause of their country and of free 
institutions, the memorable Battle op Bunker Hill, and 
with their blood vindicated for their posterity the privileges 
and happiness this land has since enjoyed. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 139 

Officers of the Bunker Hill Monument Association. — Presi- 
dent, Daniel Webster ; Vice-Presidents, Thomas H. Per- 
kins, Joseph Story ; Secretary, Edward Everett ; Treasurer, 
Nathaniel P. Russell ; Directors, Wm. Prescott, Dan. Put- 
nam, Wm. Sullivan, John C. Warren, Geo. Blake, John 
Welles, Benj. Gorham, Thos. Harris, H. A. S. Dearborn, Seth 
Knowles, Loammi Baldwin, George Ticknor, Saml. Swett, 
David Sears, Theod. Lyman, Jr., Amos Lawrence, Sam. D. 
Harris, Oliver Wolcott, D. L. Morrill, Jesse Putnam, Isaac 
P. Davis, Franklin Dexter, Nath. Silsbee, F. J. Oliver, Nathan 
Appleton ; Standing Committee on collecting Subscriptions, 
H, A, S. Dearborn, John C. Warren, Edward Everett, George 
Blake, Samuel D. Harris ; Committee on the form of the 
Monument, Daniel Webster, L. Baldwin, G, Stuart, Washing- 
ton Allston, G. Ticknor ; Architect, Alexander Paris. Presi- 
dent of the United States, John Quincy Adams ; Governor of 
Massachusetts, Levi Lincoln ; Governor of Connecticut, Oli- 
ver Wolcott ; Governor of New Hampshire, Danl. L. Morrill ; 
Governor of Rhode Island, James Fenner ; Governor of Ver- 
mont, C. P. Van Ness ; Governor of Maine, Albion K. Parris. 

List of Articles deposited. 

Official Account of the Battle of Bunker Hill by the Pro- 
vincial Congress ; Official Account by General Gage ; both 
written on parchment, and presented by John F. Eliot. 

Account of the Battle of Bunker Hill by Samuel Swett. 

Account of the Battle of Bunker Hill by H. Dearborn, 
Major-General U. S. A. 

Account of the Battle of Bunker Hill by a Bostonian (Al- 
den Bradford, Esq.). 

Address of Bunker Hill Monument Association, by Wil- 
liam Sullivan. 

Circular Letter of Bunker Hill Monument Association, by 
Edward Everett. 

Account of the Battle of Lexington in an Oration delivered 
at Concord by Edward Everett. 

Life of Josiali Quincy, containing letters and a facsimile of 
the writing of General Warren. 



140 ' HISTORY OF THE 



Coins of the United States. 

Medals presented by Hon. T. L. Winthrop. 

A fragment of Plymoutli rock, presented by the Pilgrim 
Society. 

Plan of the Battle of Bunker Hill and plan of Charlestown. 

Specimens of old Continental currency, presented by Ebe- 
nezer Clough, Lemuel Blake, and Major George Bass. 

Silver plate, inscribed as above. 

A copy of each of the newspapers of the city, printed this 
week, 

Mr. Everett, having received the honorary appoint- 
ment on the Annual Examining Committee of the 
United States Military Academy at West Point, 
wrote Dr. Warren the following before going : — 

Boston, May 25, 1825. 

Dear Doctor, - — I am going to New York to-morrow with 
my brother A. H. E., and from thence proceed to West Point. 
I have taken measures to have the meeting on the first Tues- 
day in June, duly warned ; and, as I shall not be present, I 
venture to trouble you with the books of the Association, 
which I beg you to be so good as to cause to be at the 
meeting. 

Our strangely chosen committee will probably report a 
plan of a column, which is a copy of Trajan's, divested of its 
ornaments. I do not think any thing else safe. I have acci- 
dentally conversed with Dr. Bigelow (who has made a study 
of these things), and who prefers a column decidedly on that 
ground. 

I shall strain every nerve to be here by June 17th ; but, 
by what I understand of the duration of the examination, that 
will not be j^ossible. I suppose that there will be room 
enough for one to be absent. 

Yours ever very truly, E. Everett. 

Mr. Everett had preserved a copy of his letter to 
General Lafayette, which is as follows : — 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 141 

Cambridge, 29 March, 1825. 

Dbak General, — It gives me great pleasure to have it in 
my power, by order of the Committee of the Directors of the 
Bunker Hill Monument Association, to inform you that the 
undertaking in which we have engaged has prospered beyond 
our expectations. When we enjoyed the happiness of your 
visit last autumn, it wq,s proposed only to commence the erec- 
tion of the monument this spring. The Directors had in- 
deed determined, at all events, to celebrate the ever memorable 
17th of June in the most honorable manner, and felt them- 
selves more than fortunate in receiving your kind promise to 
be present at this great commemoration. But whether we 
should have it in our power, the next June, to make the be- 
ginning of the great monumental work which we design to 
construct, was at that time doubtful. You will sympathize, 
I am sure, in the pleasure we feel at finding such ample means 
already at the disposal of the Board of Directors, that they 
will be enabled, without fail, to lay the corner-stone of the 
monument on the 17th of June next. 

I am instructed by the Committee, in this formal and 
official way, to repeat their invitation to you to be present on 
the interesting occasion, and to assure you that nothing con- 
tributes more to the interest with which we look forward to 
this great national ceremon}'- than the circumstance that the 
" Nation's Guest " has kindly promised to witness it. 

In behalf of the Committee of the Directors, I have the 
honor to be, dear General, your most faithful, humble ser- 
vant, E. EVEEETT. 

The facsimile of the holographic ve-ply faces this 
chapter. There was much groundless fear as to the 
danger of wounding the good General's feelings on 
this matter. Lafayette was a good and true Free- 
mason, and not only would have conceded the pro- 
priety of the corner-stone being laid in Masonic form, 
but of its being done by the Grand Master. He 



142 HISTORY OF THE 

would have, with equal frankness, assented to its being 
done by Mr. Webster, who evidently thought it be- 
longed to himself, as President, to j)erform the august 
ceremony, and who probably had designed to make 
it a prominent feature of the celebration, in his own 
imposing manner. 

On Lafayette's return to Boston for the great occa- 
sion, he said, " In all my travels through the country, 
I have made Bunker Hill my polar star." How true 
to his adopted country did his noble heart beat! 

All the Light Lifantry companies of Boston, 
Charlestown, and the neighboring towns, were invited 
to perform escort duty, in the following form, to 
which some of the responses are appended : — 

Boston, June 9, 1825. 
To 

Sm, — In the name and behalf of the Bunker Hill Monu- 
ment Association, you are hereby requested to invite the 
officers and men under your command to appear with you in 
uniform (with your own rations, because on this occasion it 
is absolutely impossible for the Association to provide them, 
as they gladly would do, if possible), for the purpose of 
performing escort and guard duty (or either, as may be 
necessary) at the celebration on the 17th June, 1825. You 
are respectfully requested to ascertain and report to the un- 
dersigned Committee on or before 12 o'clock at noon, on 
Monday the 14th instant, whether this request can be com- 
plied with. The companies and the whole procession will be 
under the command of Brigadier-General Lyman. 

I have the honor to be, most respectfully, for the Execu- 
tive Committee of the B. H. M. A., 

Your obedient servant, ' • 

Wm. Sullivan. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 143 

Salem, llth June, 1825. 
Hon. Wm. Sullivan. 

Sm, — I have the honor to inform you that the Cadets 
under my command do most cheerfully accept the invitation 
to perform escort and guard duty (or either, as may be nec- 
essary) on the 17th instant. With much respect, I am 

Your obedient servant, 

Benjamin S. Beowne, 

Capt. S. I. Cadets. 



Charlestown, June llth, 1825. 

Sir, — Having received your invitation, in behalf of the 
Bunker Hill Monument Association, to attend the celebration 
on the 17th instant, I have laid the same before the company 
under my command, which they have accepted. I shall 
therefore expect to receive instructions from General Lyman 
as to time and place, and shall endeavor to pay that attention 
the nature of the occasion requires. 

Respectfully yours, 

Shadrach Varney, 

Capt. of Charlestown Light Infantry. 
To Wm. Sullivan, Esq. 



Captain Jenkins, of the Columbian Guards (Light In- 
fantry Company of Charlestown), acknowledges the receipt 
of General Sullivan's very polite invitation to his company 
to parade on 17 June, and informs General Sullivan that he 
with his company will comply with the request, and will 
very cheerfully place themselves under the command of 
General Lyman, and perform any duty he may assign to 
them. 

Boston, June 13th, 1825. 

Hon. William Sullivan, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the 
B. H. M. A. 



144 HISTORY OF THE 

Concord, June 15. 
Sm, — I received your invitation yesterday morn, and 
with pleasure accept, for myself, officers, and soldiers under 
my command. 

I have the honor to be 

Your most obedient servant, 

Francis Jarvis, Jr. 



Dorchester, June 16, 1825. 

Sir, — The invitation of the Executive Committee of the 
B. H. M. Association to perform field duty on the occasion 
of the anniversary of the 17th instant is accepted, and I shall 
report for orders on the Common to-morrow morning. 

Respectfully, 

Walter Baker. 



Salem, June 11, 1825. 
To the Hon. Wm. Sullivan. 

Sir, — The Salem Mechanic Light Infantry, under my 
command, have been honored with an invitation from the 
Executive Committee of the Bunker Hill Monument Associa- 
tion to participate in the celebration on the 17th June, 1825. 
Agreeable to request, I have made it known to my company; 
and with pleasure I inform you that we respectfully accept 
3'our highly favored invitation. 

I have the honor to be, most respectfully. 

Your obedient servant, 

David Pulsifer, Jr. 

General Lyman, being then a Representative, 
reported the following resolutions : — 

House of Representatives, June 11, 1825. 

The Select Committee, to whom was referred the communi- 
cation of the Executive Committee of the Bunker Hill Monu- 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 145 

ment Association, have considered the matter committed to 
them, and now report the following resolutions. 

For the Committee. 

Theodore Lyman, Jr. 

■^ Resolved, That this House do accept the invitation of the 
Directors of the B. H. M. Association to be present at the 
laying of the corner-stone to the monument, on the 17th day 
of this month. 

Resolved, That the members of this House will walk in the 
procession that is to be formed on the 17th instant, in the 
order of their seniority. 

Resolved, That the Committee that has reported these 
resolutions be directed to communicate these resolutions to 
the Directors of the B. H. M. Association. 

Read and agreed to. 

Pelham W. Warren, Qlerh. 

House of Representatives, June 13, 1825. 

Every possible effort was made to procure the 
attendance of the Revolutionary soldiers ; and one 
hundred and ninety were gathered together, of whom 
forty were in the battle of Bunker Hill. The Legisla- 
ture defrayed their expenses of coming. Most of 
them were able to walk in the joi'ocession. The fol- 
lowing letter to General Sullivan showed how scru- 
pulous they were in those days as to place : — 

Josiah Bowers, of Lancaster, was a soldier in the Revolu- 
tionary war, and was on Bunker Hill on the 17th of June, 
1775. He did not get quite into the battle, but got within a 
few rods of the battle. When they retreated, he was sent in 
the recruit, and he remained in the army through the war. 
Can he be permitted in the procession, as other Revolutionary 
soldiers? Jonathan Prescott. 

19 



146 HISTORY OF THE 

Eev. Joseph Thaxter,of Edgartown, who was chap- 
lain of Colonel Prescott's regiment, was present, and 
was the chaplain of the day. The regimental drum- 
mer was also there ; and, in marching np Bunker Hill, 
he beat the drum to the tune of " Yankee Doodle," 
exciting the cheers of the vast concourse of people. 

Although the means of conveyance by land in 
those days were limited to the stage-coach and to 
private vehicles of all sorts, there was no lack of the 
attendance of the people. Every thing seemed to be 
put in requisition to bring them here, and to accom- 
modate them and their horses during their stay. 
They flocked here from every part of the State. 
Other States sent large delegations, and notably New 
York, South Carolina, and all New England. To 
the South CaroHna delegation a cordial greeting was 
specially given by the Directors. 

The only avenue to Charlestown was Charles River 
bridge, which was a toll bridge. By vote of its 
directors, it was declared free for that day ; and 
Mayor Quincy gave orders that the police should 
protect it as far as the jurisdiction of the city went, 
which was to the draw. 

The procession was admitted to be the finest pageant 
that had ever been seen in this country. The day 
was a perfect June day. Not a cloud was visible ; 
and the showers of the preceding day gave a fresh- 
ness to the green sward of the many vacant fields ; 
and, in the pure atmosphere and clear sky, the bright 
uniforms of the soldiery and the rich Masonic regalia 
and banners shone with a peculiar lustre. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 147 

As the head of the cohimn reached Charlestown 
Square, the rear on Boston Common had not com- 
menced to move. The route was as mdicated m Com- 
mittee's report. All the church-bells in Boston and 
Charlestown were ringing while the procession was 
in motion; and they strikingly suggested to the mul- 
titude the wonderful contrast between that joyous 
spectacle and the stormy scenes of the 17th June, 
1775, when their fathers gazed in dread suspense 
upon the great opening contest in which the new 
republic was baptized in the flames of burning Charles- 
town. 

Colonel Samuel Jaques was the chief marshal upon 
the grounds; and, with a large corps of assistants, 
backed by detachments of the military, was barely 
able to keep the reserved space clear until the pro- 
cession arrived. He was a gentleman of the old 
school, tall, erect, and portly, in size and bearing not 
unlike Mr. Webster. He wore a blue dress coat 
and buff vest, — a style in which Mr. Webster fre- 
quently appeared. The two were great friends. 

As the body of the civic procession came upon the 
grounds, a hollow square was formed, enclosing the 
site of the proposed monument, and the Masonic ser- 
vices began. The corner-stone was laid by the Most 
Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of 
Massachusetts, John Abbot. Lafayette stood by, 
and received from him the trowel, and spread the 
cement over the stone. He wore the Masonic apron 
duriug this ceremony and the other exercises on the 
hill; and, when he laid it aside, Mr. Francis C Whis- 



148 HISTORY OF THE 

ton, one of the marshals, and the toast-master at the 
dinner, took it at once into his possession, and care- 
fully preserved it. 

The Masonic services over, the lai'ge assembly re- 
paired to the northern declivity of the hill, where an 
amphitheatre was arranged with seats. At the lower 
part was the stage, with a canopy, elegantly adorned, 
surmounted by a gilded eagle. Upon this stage 
the orator, the chief guests, and the Revolutionary 
soldiers were placed. On either side was a plat- 
form covered with an awning, and each was filled 
with ladies, who were patiently waiting for the 
commencement of the exercises. When Kev. Mr. 
Thaxter stepped forward to oflPer prayer, the whole 
air was hushed to a profound stillness, and there was 
a sea of uncovered heads before him. Half a century 
before, he stood on that hill, and prayed for Colonel 
Prescott and his men, and for a blessing on the Ameri- 
can cause. During the battle, he was urging the men 
to their duty, and paid the last offices to some of 
those who there consummated their service to country 
with their life offering. He was then in the spring 
of life; and now, in the frost of age, as with a clear 
but faltering voice and evident emotion he uttered 
his prayer of thankfulness and praise, his attenuated 
form appeared like that of a mortal then about to put 
on immortality. 

An ode by Rev. John Pierpont was next sung. 
Then followed the oration. It was calculated that the 
arrangement of the awning would screen the orator 
from the sun's raj^s during its delivery j but the un- 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 149 

expected delay of nearly three hours brought the sun 
lower down, so as to shine upon the front of the 
stage. As Mr. Webster stepped forward, Lafayette 
beckoned to him to stand back in a place which was 
shaded ; but he gracefully declined, and he faced 
the sun with his eagle eye, advancing even as near 
as he could to the uncounted multitude before him. 
This act was greeted with profound applause. 

Many still live who heard that master-piece of genu- 
ine eloquence, and to them it is a proud remembrance. 
The exordium alludes to the time and place of meet- 
ing of the great assembly, the half-century anniver- 
sary of the first great battle of the American Revolu- 
tion, and this the very spot among the " sepulchres 
of our fathers.'' He compares that event with the 
discovery of America by Columbus, of which he gives 
a graphic picture, and to the landing of the fathers at 
Plymouth ; but the American Revolution he declares 
to be the great prodigy of events, and the wonder and 
blessing of the w^orld. He announces then the object 
of the Association, in erecting a national monument to 
the memory of the early friends of American inde- 
pendence on that memorable spot, to be preferred to all 
others, — not, indeed, to perpetuate national hostility 
nor to cherish a purely military spirit, but to promote 
peace and progress, a love of country, and a pure 
patriotism, both in the time of prosperity and dis- 
aster ; and, under the blessing of God, he bids the 
monument " to rise till it meet the sun in his coming." 
He addresses the survivors of that battle then before 
him, with a touching apostrophe to the memory of the 
first great Martyr -, then he addresses the other sur- 



150 HISTORY OF THE 

viviiig soldiers, the veterans of half a century ; and, 
after a brief description of the battle, he addresses 
Lafayette, whom the sensation which its intelligence 
created in Europe prompted to come over to help us, 
with his life and fortune. The great changes which 
the half century had produced iu the direction of 
human progress and improvement then became his 
theme. In his fine peroration, he exhorts his country- 
men to preserve and improve upon what their fathers 
achieved; and, by a perfect parody, he announces 
the duty of an American citizen to his country to be 
full as obligatory as that of a witness under oath to 
the cause of truth and justice, so that the couutry 
itself should become a monument, great, powerful, 
and permaneut, of which the structure about to 
be erected should be an everlasting type. The con- 
ception of the whole discourse was magnificent; and, 
being grandly sustained in all its parts, its effect upon 
the immense auditory, carried away by his lofty senti- 
ments, miugled into one mass, and wrought up as 
one man to the highest pitch of enthusiasm, was 
really sublime. 

Mr. Buckingham, afterwards President of the 

Association, in his contemporaneous account, finding 

himself powerless to do adequate justice, applied to 

Mr. Webster the following couplet : — 

" To those who know thee not no words can paint ; 
And those who know thee know all words are faint." 

The singing of a hymn composed by Rev. James 
Flint of Salem, concluding prayer by Rev. James 
Walker of Charlestown, the singing of an ode, and 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 151 

the benediction by the venerable chaplain, concluded 
these memorable exercises, which were conducted in 
the presence and hearing of over twenty thousand 
people. 

A dinner followed. The Association, their chief 
guests, and a considerable portion of the Masonic 
Fraternity then repaired to the elder Bunker Hill, 
where they sat down to the tables in a large tent, 
to the number of about four thousand. The public 
dinner in those days was more orderly, and more 
social and enjoyable, than that of the present time. 
For the intellectual entertainment, there would be a 
series of regular toasts, — generally thirteen, to cor- 
respond with the original number of the States. These 
wxre announced by the toast-master in order, and 
followed by appropriate music, the tunes being all 
previously arranged. Yolunteer toasts and songs 
would be interspersed ; but long speeches were 
ignored. The subjects of the regular toasts at this 
dinner were: 1. The 17th June, 1775 ; 2. The Mili- 
tia ; 3. The Committee of Safety ; 4. The Martyrs of 
Bunker Hill Battle ; 5. Bunker Hill Monument ; 
6. Survivors of Bunker Hill Battle ; 7. Lexington 
and Concord ; 8. The President of the United States ; 
9. The Governor of the Commonwealth ', 10. The 
Continental Army ; 11. The Memory of Washing- 
ton ; 12. The Continental Congress ; 13. The Mem- 
ory of Warren. 

After these were all drank, the President, Mr. 
Webster, arose, and with a few introductory words 
proposed : — 



152 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 

" Health and a long life to General Lafayette." 

The General, with a prefiice equally brief, gave the 
following sentiment : — 

" Bunker Hill, and the holy resistance to oppres- 
sion which has already enfranchised the American 
hemisphere. The next half century's jubilee toast 
shall be, To enfranchised Europe." 

What profound faith the gallant General had in 
the cause to which he gave his life! Although the 
l^rophecy has not been exactly fulfilled in the sense 
in which he intended, still, in looking back over the 
progress of the last half century, we may say that 
the leaven of American institutions has somewhat 
leavened the whole European lump. 

In the evening, there were two grand receptions : 
one given by Colonel Jaques, the chief marshal, at 
his residence in Washington Street, Charlestown ; 
and the other by Mr. Webster, at his elegant house, 
now demohshed, in Summer Street, Boston, — both 
of which were attended by Lafayette and other dis- 
tinguished personages. 

Mr. Webster, with his characteristic generosity, 
presented his Address to the Association, the copy- 
right of which was readily sold for six hundred dol- 
lars, — a large sum in those days, — whereby he 
became at that time, after William Phillips, the 
largest contributor to the monument. 




y.i^-d. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Yet ne'er the less 
Tower thou in majesty, nor fainter stamp 
Thy outline on the clouds. 

Brief man may pass 
On with his generations to the tomb ; 
But wait thou till the dim decay of time, — 
Yea, stand and gaze on Nature's dying throes, 
See the skies shrivel and the faint stars fall, 
And the pale sun, like wounded Csesar, fold 
His mantle darkly round him, — hear the shriek 
Of old Creation, when dissolving fires 
Envelop her, — and so decline at last, 
But with the solid globe. 

JOHN COLLIN'S WAEEEN was looked up to by 
his associates as a leading spirit in their great un- 
dertaking. He took the first step by securing a large 
portion of the battle-ground before the corporation 
was formed ; and as Tudor was soon afterwards called 
away to South America, and Webster and Everett 
were engaged for a good portion of the year in their 
congressional duties at Washington, he was frequently 
addressed by the several Directors, when they had any 
particular suggestions to make. Though at this time 
high in the rank of the medical profession, both as a 
surgeon and general practitioner, and performing all 
the while many other public duties which devolved 
upon him, he attempted to do every thing which Avas 
required of him in this regard with astonishing promjjt- 

20 



154 HISTORY OF THE 

ness. Mr. Everett wrote to him on one occasion of a 
special service he had rendered: "I once thought I 
was active, but your industry and zeal have put me 
to shame." ]!:^or was he in any way solicitous that 
exclusive or even special honor should be paid to the 
memory of his uncle, the glorious martyr, in the plan 
of the Monument. On the contrary, he took the lead 
in obtaining the advice and co-operation of the friends 
and kindred of all the heroes of the Battle of Bunker 
Hill; and when General Dearborn, imbibing the un- 
accountable prejudices of his father in relation to the 
merits and claims of Putnam, strenuously objected to 
any of his family being elected, Dr. Warren was mainly 
instrumental in silencing his opposition, and procuring 
the election of Colonel Daniel Putnam, the son of the 
brave General, as Director. Upon his motion, also, 
the following Resolutions written by him were adopted 
by the Directors at a meeting held April 5, 1825 : — 

Resolved, 1. That a final decision in regard to the kind of 
Monument to be erected shall be made only at a meeting of 
Directors warned by special notice to each individual, and 
also by advertisement in two newspapers in Boston, twenty 
days before the time of such meeting. 

2. That every decision relative to the land owned by the 
B. H. M. Association in Chaiiestown, so far as regards laying 
out roads or paths, elevating or depressing, selling, or in any 
other way disposing of said land or any part of it, or erecting 
buildings thereon, be made at a meeting of the Directors held 
in the manner pointed out in the preceding Resolution ; and 
at no other meeting of any description. 

3. That whenever the Directors shall judge expedient to 
take measures to come to a decision in regard to the kind of 
Monument to be erected, they shall elect a Board to whom 
shall be submitted all plans and designs which may be pre- 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 155 

sented, in order that this Board may give an opinion as to 
the superiority of any plan or design thus presented ; and, 
farther, that the said Board of Artists be requested to 
give their opinion in regard to any other plan which may 
occur to them, beside those which may have been laid before 
them by the Directors. 

At this same meeting, the Directors proceeded to 
elect the Board of Artists created by the last Resolu- 
tion, and the Standing Committee were requested to 
retire and nominate seven gentlemen to serve thereon. 
The Standing Committee withdrew, and after consul- 
tation brought in the names of only five: Daniel 
Webster, Gilbert Stuart, "Washington All- 
STON, LoAMMi Baldwin, and George Ticknor. 

The Directors accepted the nomination " both as to 
the persons named and the number of them;" and 
these distinguished gentlemen, all men of national 
renown, were constituted the Board of Artists. Al- 
though the magical number of seven was first deter- 
mined upou, the Standing Committee undoubtedly 
found it impossible to select the two others, whose 
services could readily be obtained, and who would 
have added materially to the weight of authority of 
these five in matters of art; and the Directors also 
were satisfied both with the number and the selection. 

The Standing Committee in January, 1825, had 
caused to be inserted in the leading newspapers of 
Boston, and of other cities of the country, their in- 
vitation to artists to furnish plans of whatever char- 
acter or design, for the proposed Monument. In the 
invitation, the Committee stated, " although there are 
some obvious recommendations of a column as the 



156 HISTORY OF THE 

best form for a monumental structure on the spot in 
question, yet the Committee are determined to pro- 
pose no plan whatever to the Association till they 
have had the means of comparing all the suggestions 
which may be offered by the architectural skill and 
genius of the country. . . . But as a column is recom- 
mended by various local circumstances, and appears 
to enjoy a general preference, the Committee are par- 
ticularly desirous to receive plans of a monumental 
column of about 220 feet in height, to be built of 
hewn granite." 

A premium was offered in the following terms : " It 
is wished that proposals should contain two plans: 
one, the architectural plan and elevation of the work, 
with a suitable scale; vertical and horizontal sections 
of the interior; particular statements of the propor- 
tions and magnitudes of the members; and, if a column, 
drawings of the ornamental portions of the pedestal: 
and the other, a handsomely finished perspective view 
of the work. For the plan of this description which 
shall appear to merit the preference, the Committee 
offer a reward of one hundred dollars." 

The Standing Committee, it will be seen from their 
advertisement, were decidedly in favor of adopting 
the column, and Dr. Warren was the only one of the 
Committee who, in the final vote after the long discus- 
sion, turned against its adoption. On IN'ovember 4, 
1824, the Standing Committee voted that Mr. Willard 
be authorized to draw a plan of a monument jJrojected 
on a large scale, to be painted for the purposes of ex- 
hibition to the Legislature, and the citizens of Boston 
and the vicinity. Mr. Willard complied with this 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 157 

request, and presented a plan which was highl}^ 
satisfactory to the Committee, who explained to him, 
through Mr. Everett, the reason for their offering a 
public reward for the best plan to be submitted, — that 
they felt it their duty in discharge of a public trust to 
make a general advertisement to the artists of the 
country, — and solicited his permission to keep his 
l)lan and to compensate him therefor. 

In a letter to Dr. Warren, written in February, 
1825, before the appointment of the Board of Artists, 
Mr. Willard withdrew " from the contest about the 
designs," and wished a " God-speed " to the Associa- 
tion. He also wrote the following letter to Dr. 
Warren : — 

Deak Sir, — I believe. that there has been some mistake 
in stating that the column which has been estimated for would 
be the highest in the world. I have lately seen in a periodical 
work a description of one erected after the Battle of Auster- 
litz, which is 246 feet high, including the statue. The statue 
is 11 feet high. The height of the one estimated for is 210 
feet. The mistake originated, I believe, with General Dear- 
born, but I do not know whether it is of much importance. 
It will not be in my power to furnish the drawings mentioned 
so soon as they are wanted, and as I understand that the 
Committee expect them from another quarter, I suppose it 
will be no disappointment. 

I shall consider myself honored in aiding the cause as far 
as my influence extends, and also in subscribing my mite to 
defray the expense of the undertaking ; but I have no wish to 
enter into any contest about the designs. 

Yours, &c., Solomon Willard. 

On April 12, when Mr. Webster was elected 
President of the Association by the Directors, he 



158 HISTORY OF THE 

made a T^eport in part of the doings of the Board of 
Artists, of which he was chairman. The further 
consideration of this Report was postponed to the next 
meeting, and the Board was requested to report at 
that time " which of the plans submitted be entitled to 
the premium of one hundred dollars as the best sub- 
mitted plan." It seems that a large number of plans 
were submitted, about fifty, as nearly as can now be 
ascertained, some of which were sent at a considerable 
expense from a great distance, as that of Mr. Robert 
Mills from Columbia, South Carolina, which was in 
the form of an obelisk. 

On April 26, the Board made the following Re- 
port : — 

The Committee to whom were referred the plans and 
designs, &c., of different artists for a Monument on Bunker 
Hill, beg leave further to report, — 

That the number of designs, plans, and models is very con- 
siderable, and that several of them show much talent and 
great architectural skill. The. Committee, however, feeling 
more and more persuaded that a column is not properly a 
monumental structure such as the purposes of the Bunker 
Hill Association require, have been obliged, from this consid- 
eration, to reject a large proportion of the plans and designs 
submitted to them. Setting these aside, therefore, they rec- 
ommend that the premium of one hundred dollars be awarded 
to Mr. Horatio Greenough for the model and section of an 
obelisk ; and this model and all the remaining plans and 
designs are herewith presented to the Directors for their fur- 
ther consideration. 

The Committee, however, do not wish to be understood as 
advising that the Monument on Bunker Hill be erected pre- 
cisely according to the model and plan of Mr. Greenough. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 159 

On the contrary, they feel unable at present to give any 

opinion other than the opinion contained in their last Report, 

and are intimately persuaded that they have not yet sufficient 

grounds and materials to form one that would satisfy either 

the Directors or themselves. 

Dan'l Webster. 

Geo. Ticknor. 

W. Allston. 

G. Stuart. 

Apkil 25, 1825. 

The following communication from Mr. Greenough 
accompanied the model presented b}^ him, and, it is 
presumed, was presented with the Report together 
with his model: — 

To the Committee of the Bunker Hill Monument Association. 

Gentlemen, — Having designed an obelisk instead of a 
column, and presented a model rather than a perspective 
drawing for the purpose of illustration, it has seemed to me 
proper to explain what might be interpreted a wilful or neg- 
ligent disregard to the published proposals of your com- 
mittee. 

I have given you my design in a model, because, as it may 
be examined from every quarter, it may be said to contain 
in itself a perspective of the object, as seen from ever^ point 
instead of one only, and is on that account more easily and 
perfectly understood. 

I have made choice of the obelisk as the most purely mon- 
umental form of structure. The column, grand and beauti- 
ful as it is in its place (where it stands beneath the weight of 
a pediment, and supports a long liue of heavy entablature), 
considered as a monument, seems liable, to unanswerable ob- 
jections. It steps forth from that body, of which it has been 
made a harmonious part, to take a situation which, of all 
others, requires unity of form : hence the more completely it 
has been fitted to a situation so different, the greater must be 



160 HISTORY OF THE 

tlie number of useless ajDpendages and unmeaning parts when 
it assumes its new place and office ; in fact, that increase in 
the upper part of the shaft of the column, in each of the 
Greek orders, as plainly implies a weight above, to be sup- 
ported, as the base implies a ground on which to stand. 

The proportions of this obelisk are taken from one at 
ancient Thebes. The height from the ground to the top of 
the plinth is twenty feet ; from the plinth to the apex of the 
shaft, one hundred feet. 

A circular stair-case, lighted by narrow windows or glazed 
loop-holes, — : which could not be seen at a short distance, — 
might be carried as high as the base of the pyramid in which 
the structure terminates. This stair-case might be entered 
at one of the sides of the plinth by a door, of the same color 
as the rest of the building, and made without any projecting 
parts about it, so that the lines would not be cut up, or the 
masses of light and shadow broken. 

The entrance would be reached by ascending a flight of 
twenty steps, which are to be seen on each side of the lower 
base in the model. The four blocks at the angles are de- 
signed to receive four groups of monumental or allegorical 
sculpture. These are indicated by the pieces of cla}'- seen on 
those parts of the model. But, should any circumstance pre- 
vent or delay the erection of these, four large field-pieces 
would form noble and appropriate ornaments, and would 
contrast pleasingly with the general form of the other parts 
of the structure. 

The scale in the drawing of the section is reduced to one- 
half that of the model. — No. 12. 

The record states with regard to this Report, "On 
motion, and after discussion of the principles of the 
Report, it was voted to lay this Report on the table." 
It was understood that Colonel Baldwin concurred with 
his associates on the Board of Artists, though his 
signature was not appended to the Report, as he was 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 161 

absent when it was written. Mr. Ticknor was the only 
member of the Board present at this meeting of the 
Directors, Mr. Stnart and Mr. Allston not being 
Directors. As the feeling of the Board was then 
pretty general in favor of the adoption of the column, 
it is not very surprising that this course was taken. 
Other pressing matters awaited the attention of the 
Directors in view of the arrangements for the coming 
17th June, and the Report was not again called up, 
nor was the promised reward ever bestowed. 

Mr. Greenough was a native of Boston, and was 
then about to graduate from Harvard College in the 
class of 1825, and to devote his life to art, in which he 
afterwards achieved the highest distinction, reflecting 
honor upon his Alma Mater and his country. His 
fine model of the obelisk form of the monument, and 
his brief cogent statement of its superior merits to the 
column, did much to change the general opinion in its 
favor. Although he did not receive the one hundred 
dollars offered, — which the Association could ill 
afford to pay, — the unanimous award of the Board 
of Artists, as impartial as it was distinguished, to 
Avhom the selection of the best design of all those sub- 
mitted was intrusted, was the highest testimonial that 
could be given him. It was greatly valued by him, 
and, since his decease, has been proudly cherished by 
his family, as the auspicious first fruit of his profes- 
sional success. 

The model offered by Horatio Greenough is dis- 
tinctly remembered by many. It was of wood, painted 
of the color of granite. It had a flight of steps to 

21 



162 HISTORY OF THE 

the base, with blocks at the corners for the reception 
of suitable objects as ornaments, and a broad platform 
designed for statnes, to be provided at a fntnre period. 
"When returned to Mr. Greenongh, it had the word 
" Adopted " written upon it in a slanting direction by 
Gilbert Stnart. After the decision of the Board, he 
said to Warren Dutton, Esq., " An artist never has a 
l^encil in his pocket: lend me yonrs." Mr. Dutton 
gave him one, and saw him write the word. 

The model was two feet high. It was an exquisite 
thing, and spoke its own praise to the general eye. 
The wish has been expressed that whoever of the 
family relatives of the great sculptor may now have 
it will consent to place it in the possession of the 
Association. Colonel Swett, one of the committee last 
appointed to report the plan of a monument in the 
obelisk form, gave the authorship of the present plan 
of the Monument to Greenough. Amos Lawrence, 
also, in a letter to Professor Packard, of Bowdoin 
College, dated " December 30, 1852, evening," the day 
before he died, — and said to be the last letter he 
wrote, — stated that Greenough's plan " was substan- 
tially adopted, although the column was amended by 
the talents, taste, and influence of Loammi Baldwin, 
one of our Directors." 

On May 19, 1825, the special notice of twenty days 
required by the Resolution offered by Dr. Warren 
having been previously given, a meeting was held to 
act uj^on the plan of the Monument. Dr. Warren 
received on the same day the following letter fi'om a 
Boston architect: — 




MODEL BY HORATIO GREENOUGH 

FROM A ROUGH SKETCH BY HIM. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 163 

Boston, 19th May, 1825. 
Dr. J. C. Warren. 

Sir, — I send you a model of a monument, to be offered to 
the Committee of Bunker Hill Association, which meets to- 
day to decide on a plan ; and I regret that want of time has 
prevented a more finished design. An attempt is made in 
this model to combine the associations connected with the 
important event it is intended to commemorate, with conven- 
ience and the public subscriptions. 

1. The obelisk may be of any height, and the base of any 
extent, adapted to the funds of the Society. Should an 
ascent to the top of the obelisk be required, it is proposed to 
affix the stairs to its sides, as spiral stairs fatigue the passen- 
ger by compelling a constant change of step adapted to stairs 
constantly diminishing as they ascend. This is felt by all 
who ascend the Washington Monument in Baltimore. To 
obviate the objection to windows in the sides of the obelisk, 
it is proposed to admit light from the top. 

2. As stairs on the outside of a fort militate with all the 
uses of fortification, while they diminish the grandeur of 
every large design, the entrance is by a main gate in the 
base, and the ascent by steps in the base of the obelisk. 

3. It is proposed that the platform be sufficiently extensive 
for a promenade, and for groups of statuary, which the future 
resources, invention, and gratitude of posterity may supply. 

4. Cannon are j^hi-ced on the four bastions, to be used at 
every anniversary, and for other celebrations connected with 
American independence. 

All which are submitted, with respect, by your humble 
servant, 

G. W. Brimmee. 

At this meeting, Mr. Webster, the President, both 
the Yice-Presidents, Colonel Perkins and Judge 
Story, and nearl}'^ all the Directors, were present. 
There was a long and animated debate. The result 
was the passage of the following votes : — 



164 HISTORY OF THE 

Voted, That a Committee of five be appointed to report 
the plan of an obehsk, and also of a column, with estimates 
of the expense of each. 

That this Committee consist of the following gentlemen : 
General Dearborn, E. Everett, Mr. Knowles, Colonel Harris, 
Colonel Perkins. 

The meeting adjourned to June 7, only ten days 
before the time for the great celebration, to hear the 
Report. At this adjourned meeting the following 
Keport was presented : — 

Report of the Committee on Plans of an Obelisk and a Column. 

The Committee which was directed to report plans of an 
obelisk and a column, with estimates of the cost of each, con- 
sidered it unsafe to trust to the genius and taste of modern 
times in the selection of designs of monuments which were 
ancient in origin and execution. 

The obelisk having been first and almost exclusively 
erected in Egypt, engravings of the most celebrated now 
standing were examined ; but, being placed on a simple tab- 
let of stone, their appearance in an isolated position, detached 
from the approaches of the splendid temples whose extended 
avenues or spacious areas they once embellished, is desolate, 
naked, and rude ; and they only become interesting and im- 
posing from an association of their great antiquit}^, and the 
imagined legends of their unintelligible hierogij'phics, with 
the fact that such lofty and ponderous masses of stone were 
wrought from a single block of Thebaic granite. They were 
therefore rejected as models. Those which had been trans- 
ported to Rome and Constantinople, and placed on apj)ropri- 
ate pedestals by distinguished artists, next claimed attention ; 
and drawings on an extended scale were made of the two 
which Augustus and Constantius brought from Heliopolis 
and Alexandria, and placed in the Great Circus ; and ulti- 
mately that which stands in the Square of St. Giovanni was 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 165 

selected, being, witli its pedestal, considered the most sym- 
metrical and magnificent. 

This was the largest obelisk brought to Rome, the length 
of the shaft being one hundred and fifteen feet. The Em- 
peror Constantine intended to have placed it in one of the 
public squares in Constantinople, and had it brought down 
the Nile from Thebes to Alexandria, to be from thence trans- 
ported to his new city ; but, after his death, his son Constan- 
tius made a visit to Rome, in the year 357, and, as a proof of 
his regard for the ancient city of the empire, he had this 
trophy brought from Egypt, and placed upon the Spina of 
the Circus Maximus, ninety feet distant from that of Au- 
gustus. 

Towards the close of the sixteenth century, it was found 
buried in the ruins of that magnificent circus, and placed in 
the Square of St. Giovanni, by order of Pope Sixtus V., 
under the direction of that celebrated architect and engineer, 
Dominico Fontana. The lower end having been shattered 
by its fall, it became necessary to cut off seven feet to obtain 
a plane and solid base, so that it is now only one hundred 
and eight feet high. The breadth at the bottom is nine feet 
six inches, and eight feet thick. 

The Committee present an elevation of this obelisk, and 
analytical plans of the proposed construction. 

Mr. Willard, the architect who made the drawings, states 
that he was assisted by Mr. G. Bryant, an experienced 
mason, in estimating the cost of erecting such an obelisk of 
blocks of granite, and that it will amount to $60,000. 

In selecting a plan for a column, the members of the Com- 
mittee were guided by the same principles which induced 
them to decide on the form of an obelisk ; and, of the six 
colossal columns now standing, Trajan's in Rome is the most 
ancient, — except, perhaps, that called Pompey's, near Alex- 
andria, — and has been ever considered the most perfect in 
form and magnificent in execution. 

Of all the stupendous buildings which were in the Trajan 
Forum, nothing remains but this column. It was designed 



166 HISTORY OF THE 

and executed by Apollodorus, the most celebrated architect 
of Rome. 

The whole height of the column is 147 feet, according to 
some writers, and others make it 141 ; the shaft, 108 ; the 
pedestal, 19 ; and the crowning, about 14 feet. The diame- 
ter of the shaft is represented to be from 12^^ to 13 feet. It 
is composed of 33 tamboons, or blocks, of white marble ; the 
pedestal being of 8, the base 1, the shaft 23, and the capital 
of 1. 

The bas-reliefs of the pedestal represent trophies and bar- 
barian arms. The shaft is adorned with bas-reliefs, mounting 
spirally from the bottom to the top, representing the victories 
of Trajan over the Dacse, which begin from the passage of 
the Danube. This band of bas-reliefs passes twenty-three 
times round the shaft. On the top was a gilt-bronze statue 
of Trajan. 

Trajan had ordered this column to be erected ; but as he 
died at Selinus, on his return from his Eastern conquests in 
117, it was completed by the senate and people of Rome, and 
dedicated to him ; and his ashes were put in a globe, which 
his statue held in its left hand. 

Sixtus V. finding the pedestal of the column buried by 
the accumulation of the ruins of numerous edifices and of 
earth,' he caused an excavation to be made around it quite to 
the bottom, and placed the statue of St. Peter upon the top. 

This grand structure was monumental, honorary, historical, 
and triumphal. It has been the model of that erected to 
Marcus Aurelius, commonly called the Antonine column ; of 
the Theodosian in Constantinople ; and of the one erected 
by the Emperor Napoleon in the Place VendSme. Distin- 
guished artists have considered it the paragon of columns, 
while the scientific and accomplished Freart pronounced it 
the queen of architecture. Learned travellers, of every age 
and country, have been lavish in its praise ; and for nearly 
seventeen centuries it has braved the ravages of time, the 
ruinous incursions of barbarians, the devastations of wars, 
and still proudly stands, the admiration of the world. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 167 

From these facts and considerations, and unwilling to rnn 
the risk of corapromitting the character of the Association, 
the State, or country, by rendering either obnoxious to cen- 
sure from a solecism in architectural taste, the Committee did 
not hesitate to recommend a like structure, extended to two 
hundred and twenty feet in height, with a proportional 
diameter, but excluding the bas-reliefs on the pedestal, and 
those which ascend spirally round the shaft, leaving it chas- 
tened to its graceful flutings. A castellated stereobata was 
added, to embrace the steps : and on the bastioned angles it 
is proposed to place, mounted on iron or bronze carriages, the 
cannon presented by the Legislature ; thus exhibiting the 
kind of fortress and arms which were in use at the period 
the battle was fought, as a substitute for the jjile of barbarian 
trophies and military weapons on which the column of Trajan 
appears to be reared. 

Mr, Paris, the architect who furnished the elevations, 
estimates the cost at $74,000 ; and, the plan having been 
submitted to Mr. Willard, he calculates the expense of 
the structure at $75,000 : but, if of large blocks of from 
three to twelve tons, and three-feet courses, it will amount 
to $85,000. Both of these artists were aided in their esti- 
mates b}^ some of our most experienced mechanics, and 
therefore great reliance is to be reposed on their results. 

H. A. S. Dearborn, 

June 2, 1825. Chairman of the Committee on Plans. 

This Report was discussed at great length, and the 
question was finally taken by yeas and nays, and each 
Director, being called in turn, answered as follows : — 

Daniel Webster, President, No. Amos Lawrence . . . No. 

Joseph Story, Vice „ No. Jesse Putnam .... Yes. 

Nathan Appleton . . . No. Seth Knovvles .... Yes. 

Loammi Baldwin . . . No. Samnel Swett .... No. 

Henry A. S. Dearborn . Yes. William Sullivan . . . No. 

George Blake .... Yes. David Sears No. 

Isaac P. Davis .... No. George Ticknor . . . No. 

Samuel D. Harris . . . Yes. John C. Warren . . . No. 



168 HISTORY OF THE 

So the Report was rejected by the vote of five in 
the affirmative to eleven in the negative, and the 
column fell to the ground. 

It was then 

Voted, That the form of an obelisk shall be adopted for the 
proposed Monument, or in other words a pyramidal structure 
such as may be hereafter agreed on. 

The following Committee was then chosen by ballot 
to report a design of an obelisk, or pyramidal structure, 
and to consider and report on the subject generally: 
Loammi Baldwin, George Ticknor, Jacob Bigelow, 
Samuel Swett, "Washington Allston. 

Thus was definitely settled the form of the Bunker 
Hill Monument, and the prevailing opinion which was 
originally entertained in favor of the column yielded 
to the confirmed judgment of the Board of Artists, 
which was probably reached by them after long delib- 
eration, assisted in some measure at least by the argu- 
ments of Mr. Greenough and other architects. 

Mr. Everett, as soon as informed of the result, 
gracefully yielded in the following patriotic letter: — 

West Point, June 14, 1825. 

My dear Sir, — I received your favor of the 9th this 
morning, and am much obliged to you for the precise and 
candid account you give me of the decision. I had, I confess, 
pretty much made up my mind, as you are aware, on the 
other side ; and not having the advantage of hearing the 
debate, which preceded the decision, have had no reason to 
depart from my first conclusion ; except the natural distrust 
I must, of course, feel in any judgment so powerfully opposed. 
As it is, I acquiesce, with greatest cheerfulness, in the will of 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 169 

the majority. I should be unwilling, on every account, to be 
made unhappy at not being able to carry a point relative to 
the monument, — when I remember that Prescott lost the 
battle and Warren his life, on the spot where the monument 
is to stand. 

Being much occupied with the examination here (which is 
not expected to close till the 26th), I have only time to 
request you, if the dinner should be prolonged till volunteer 
toasts are in order, and if it be perfectly convenient to you, 
to do me the favor to propose the following for me : — 

" The Heights of Charlestown, — consecrated by the blood 
of our fathers, adorned by the gratitude of their children. 
May the Monument stand the comparison which after time 
will make between Our spirit in commemorating and Theirs 
in achieving." 

I am much obliged to you for missing me. T believe, how- 
ever, there will be no lack of company. Mr. Webster writes 
me that all goes on well. 

In haste, very faithfully yours, 

E. Everett. 

General Dearborn, however, was not so ready to give 
up his strong convictions, but wrote to Colonel Perkins 
the following letter, to be read to the Directors : — 

Boston, July 5, 1825. 

Deae, Sir, — In consequence of sickness in my family, it 
will not be in my power to attend the Directors' meeting this 
evening ; but, as the obelisk rejDorted will cost $100,000, and 
as many gentlemen prefer a still larger one, permit me to 
urge the propriety of adopting the column of Trajan, which 
was exhibited some weeks since, and is now in our room. 

It is certain we cannot finish the obelisk ; and, if begun 
and raised fifty or one hundred feet, the reason that is urged 
in favor of that form of monument — viz., that it will look 
well if built only half or two-thirds of its height — will prevent 
an effort on the part of the public to finish it. 

• 22 



170 HISTORY OF THE 

Now, the column has been estimated to cost but $75,000 
by two of our most distinguished architects, who are also 
practical men, and constantly are, and have long been, super- 
intending the erection of stone edifices. I therefore do con- 
fide in their estimates. 

We can leave out the crowning, the eagles at the corners 
of the pedestal, and the castellated base. This would lessen 
the cost of the column as follows : — 

Crowning $4,500 

Bronze eagles 6,000 

Castellated base 6,000 

$16,500 

Cost of column as per estimate $75,000 

Deducting the above 16,500 

Cost of the column $58,500 

Subscriptions can be more successfully extended for a col- 
umn ; and I am confident that, by the contributions of the 
public and the patronage of the State, funds can be obtained 
to finish the column in three years^ in conformity to the al- 
tered plan. 

It will look better without the crowning, if a statue does 
not surmount it ; and it is perfect as an architectural struct- 
ure without the eagles or castellated base. The two former 
may at any future period be added : in the mean time, it will 
be a magnificent structure. 

I am quite sure a column will give more satisfaction to the 
public, and it is within our power to erect it ; but I cannot 
indulge a hope of seeing an obelisk, of thirty or forty feet 
base, ever completed. 

It is from a deep conviction that our surest and best course 
is to adopt the column, that I press this subject ; and, as it is 
the only remaining chance for stating these facts, I beg j^ou to 
make such use of them as you may think proper. My only 
object is to successfully accomplish what we have undertaken, 
and not leave it for posteritj^ We are the posterity of the 
times and deeds we wish to commemorate ; and let us, there- 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 171 

fore, not begin a structure whicli will for a century be a 
ruin. 

Very respectfully, your most obedient servant, 

H. A. S. Deakborn. 
Col. Th. H. Perkins. 

The following estimate of Mr. Willard was probably Z-'"~^.7 
furnished to General Dearborn at about the same 
time:— L0J^i^x<^1 

Dear Sir, — I have made a rough sketch and estimate for 
two columns, which have nearly the proportions of the Trajan 
and Antonine columns at Rome ; excepting that the pedes- 
tals are a little higher than the pedestal of the Trajan col- 
umn, and not so high as that of the Antonine. A column 
220 feet high and 20 feet in diameter, having the figure of 
the sketch, will cost about $37,000, if the construction be 
like the one in Baltimore, or like our common stone build- 
ings, as represented on the plan marked A. If constructed 
of large blocks, as represented at C on the same plan, it will 
not cost much less than f 50,000 under the best management. 

The small column, 120 feet high and 11.6 in diameter, will 
cost, if constructed of large blocks according to the sketch, 
about $15,000. If the expense of any intermediate size 
should be required, its comparative cost will be nearly as the 
square of its diameter to the square of the diameter of the 
large column, supposing no error in the estimate. 

N.B. — The estimates are made for granite equal to the 
base of the new United States Bank, State Street. 

Yours, &c.. 



Monday, July. 



r l'txH-~l Solomon Willard. 



General Dearborn desired to see the Monument 
completed in his time, and for the reason of economy 
preferred a plain column divested of ornaments, as 
being within the means of the Association. And yet 



172 HISTORY OF THE 

he was aware that at some future time there would be 
a demand for a statue to surmount it. On the con- 
trary, General Sullivan was satisfied to see only the 
commencement of a grand work. He wrote Dr. War- 
ren in relation to the obelisk: "I understand that the 
Committee will report thirty feet base. I shall vote 
against it. I am for forty, if it goes up but fifty feet 
in my day, and would prefer fifty feet base." 

It will be observed that not only Mr. Everett, but 
Colonel Perkins, who was of the Committee in favor 
of the column, was absent at the time of the decision. 
Had Dr. "Warren adhered to them, and had the three 
been present to re-enforce General Dearborn in his 
ardent support of the column, their combined influence 
might have enabled him to carry his point. This fact 
should be remembered in commendation of Dr. Warren, 
that, considering if the column had been adopted and 
erected, there was a general desire that it should some 
time be surmounted by a statue of his martyr uncle, 
his declaring for the obelisk, and probably turning the 
scale in favor of its adoption, was a noble relinquish- 
ment on his part of the opportunity of family honor to 
the unselfish desire to erect a monument that should 
be purely national. 

The Directors were not without advice from other 
intelligent quarters. William Austin, an eminent 
counsellor of Charlestown, — a graduate of Harvard 
College of the class of 1798, — an author also of great 
merit, and one of the grantors of the land of the 
Association, sent a communication recommending the 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 173 

erection of an elegant, permanent building, containing 
a hall for lectures, an Athenaeum, and a gallery of 
fine arts, — thus uniting the useful and ornamental 
with the commemorative. There is now no trace of 
the plan he proposed in existence, nor is it known 
how far he had furnished the details. It would appear, 
however, that he withdrew his objections to the Monu- 
ment as he afterwards was elected on the Board of 
Directors. 

It remained for "William Ladd, — a graduate of 
Harvard College of the class of 1797, — known as 
the Apostle of Peace, and President of the American 
Peace Society, to present his objections to the obelisk 
in this carefully prepared letter to his old classmate, 
which received the respectful consideration of the 
Directors, but, however, did not alter their views or 
purposes : — 

MiNOT, County of Cumberland, State of Maine, 

Jan. 3, 1826. 
Doctor John C. Warren. 

Dear Sir, — In looking over the " plans of the Church of 
Batalha," which you will receive with this, I find that I have 
associated in my mind the Mausoleum of King Emanuel, 
which is octagonal, with that of King John, which is square 
for the first story, and afterward an octagon. If you look 
at the "general plan" of the church (plate No. 1), you will 
find the ground plan of the mausoleum of Emanuel marked 
R, and the view and elevation of the same as it was intended 
to be built, in plate No. 14. This is certainly beautiful ; but 
it is better suited to a level than a hill, — is too extensive and 
costly, and has many other objections, — though it would be 
very suitable for a national mausoleum at Washington. 

The mausoleum of King John (the ground plan) you will 



174 HISTORY OF THE 

find on the general plan marked C, — tlie west elevation in 
plate No. 7, — the south elevation in plate No. 10, and a view 
of the interior in plate No. 11. I should propose the adop- 
tion of this plan with one alteration, viz., an octagonal base 
instead of a square one, — which I suppose was adopted in 
this case, on account of its being joined to the church, which, 
would not have been done well in an octagonal form in the 
place in which it was situated. 

I should prefer the octagonal base : 1st, because it is more 
in symmetry with the superstructure ; 2d, because it encloses 
a greater space than the square, in proportion to the external 
surface ; 3d, because it gives a greater height in proportion 
to the base in reality, and still greater in appearance, and 
lastly because I should not like a servile imitation of any 
model, however good. I should prefer to have the main part 
of the building of granite, the ornamental, both within and 
without, of the dark-colored freestone from Connecticut, or 
marble. You will please to observe that, by adopting the 
octagon for the base, the clumps of spires at each corner 
would be avoided, and the whole much simplified. It would 
also perhaps be well to omit some other parts of the orna- 
mental work. I would have the windows of stained glass, 
and if practicable with appropriate devices. In the centre I 
would place a sarcophagus enclosing the remains of General 
Warren, and perhaps other sarcophagi under the adjoining 
alcoves, and tablets to the memory of other officers who 
fought on that day, whether slain or not, on the pillars ; and 
appropriate places would be found for inscriptions describing 
the battle, — an account of the erection of the monument, — 
the names of the committee, donors, — laying of the corner- 
stone, &c. It is unnecessary to go further into detail, as the 
judgment of the Committee would, undoubtedly, suggest im- 
provements. In the list of subscribers to this book, I find the 
name of Charles Bulfinch, Esq., of Boston. As he is a cele- 
brated architect, if any such plan should be adopted, it would 
be well to consult him. 

I pass now to considerations of a general nature, and will 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 175 

offer some reasons why a mausoleum, something like what I 
have alluded to, would be preferable to a pillar or an obelisk. 

The great objection to the pillar and obelisk is that they 
are trophies of victory. The obelisk is less objectionable than 
the pillar ; but, whatever may be the intentions of the Com- 
mittee, the obelisk is, and ever will be, considered as a trophy 
of victory, — a monument erected to national glory, — an 
object which will be the first to strike the eye of an English- 
man, as he approaches our shores, in the same manner as the 
captured American standards in St. Paul's strike an Ameri- 
can, — exciting feelings of mortified pride, hatred, and re- 
venge. Now a monument which is unequivocally/ sepulchral 
will have no such effect. 

By adopting the plan of a monument purely sepulchral, 
there would be a great accession to the funds of the Associa- 
tion. Many who now object to the obelisk, on account of its 
being considered by them as a trophy of victory, would very 
willingly come forward to aid in honoring the dead, provided 
they could do it without, as they think, endangering the 
peace of the living. Those, on the contrary, who have al- 
ready subscribed can have no reasonable objections to the 
proposed plan, or, if they have, will be unwilling to avow 
them. 

The proposed mausoleum would probably be more durable 
than the obelisk, — not from natural but from moral causes. 
Should war, foreign or civil, again ravage our country, the 
obelisk would furnish a quarry, from which the defenders of 
the city — in imitation of the conduct of the Athenians, who 
demolished their monuments to rebuild their walls — would 
draw materials for the fortification of Charlestown Neck, or 
the construction of a fort on the spot. This no one could 
object to, as necessity has no law. But the assailants might 
also use the materials, which a single barrel of gunpowder 
would prostrate on the ground, for similar purposes. This 
would not be the case with the mausoleum, the materials of 
which would be few in comparison with the other, and unfit 
for fortifications ; and the beauty and sanctity of the struct- 
ure would preserve it like the Lantern of Diogenes and the 
Acropolis, through ages of barbarism. 



176 HISTOKY OF THE 

The obelisk furnishes no shelter for sarcophagi inscriptions, 
tablets, or sculpture of any kind, and should a statue be 
erected on Bunker Hill, even of colossal size, it would be 
lost in contiguity with the gigantic obelisk. The mausoleum 
furnishes a remedy for all this, and an area on which may be 
erected the statues of the heroes who fell in the conflict, — 
which may be carved by some future Phidias or Praxiteles, — 
which would be thus protected from the weather, and this 
building may in time be to Boston what Westminster Abbey 
is to London. 

Foreigners have always reproached us for our want of taste, 
especially in Gothic models, and the "Yankee Gothic" has 
been the by-word of Europeans. The fact is, we are obliged 
to make our taste give way to our convenience. The con- 
gregation that builds a church must be comfortably accommo- 
dated with seats, let what will become of architecture. Here 
there are no such objections, and the mausoleum may exhibit a 
model of architecture, which for symmetry, beaut}^ durability, 
situation, and the most sacred moral associations, is not 
equalled in the world. 

The obelisk must be vast and stupendous, or it is nothing. 
It can surprise only by its magnitude. It has no other at- 
tractive feature. Even then, if nearly viewed, it loses its 
effect, because the eye cannot take in the whole altitude. 
If viewed from a distance, even 220 feet of altitude would 
appear diminutive, because there is nothing to compare it 
with but the hill itself, in comparison with which it would 
only appear like a flagstaff. It must, therefore, be vast — 
immense. But, to be vast, it must also be very expensive. 
It is not easy to calculate the cost of raising large stones to 
the height of 220 feet. The expense of the bare staging 
would build a respectable mausoleum. Should the funds fail, 
— should dissensions arise, — should the obelisk remain un- 
finished, what a conspicuous and durable object of sarcasm 
and ridicule would it furnish its opponents at home and 
abroad I 

The only use of the monument is to mark a place which, 
without it, would never be forgotten. As a token of a na- 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 177 

tion's gratitude and honor to the mighty dead, it can never 
equal the mausoleum. As a monument of national glory, it 
is worse than nugatory. A nation may honor itself by grati- 
tude to its benefactors, but a nation cannot honor itself by 
erecting trophies to its glory, any more than an individual 
can honor himself by erecting his own statue. 

Finally the mausoleum would be useful, not only in every 
thing in which it comes in competition with the obelisk in 
preserving the inscriptions, sculpture, and archives, but in 
affording a place of meditation and retirement, where an 
American might meet with an Englishman as a reconciled 
brother, who might join him in admiration of English princi- 
ples carried to jjerfection by descendants of Englishmen ; and 
a place for future celebrations, where a small assembly might 
be addressed from a pulpit within, and a vast concourse from 
the balustrade without. 

More might be said, but it is unnecessary. An objection 
arises, — that the form of the obelisk has been already de- 
termined on. This determination, however, as I understand, 
was only to give the obelisk the preference to the column. 
But, if it were otherwise, it must be remembered that second 
thoughts are often best. Many gentlemen of respectability 
agree with me on this subject. I have mentioned the plan to 
no one who has not immediately fallen in with it, and I think 
no one can have any objection. Any alteration then, if there 
be one, must be considered as a change of, and dictated by, 
public opinion. 

I feel as though I ought to make some apology for having 
so far intruded on a subject in which I am only interested as 
a private individual ; but I also feel as though I had already 
too far trespassed on 3'our patience. 

Please to do me the favor to show this letter and the plans 

accompanying it to General Sullivan, with whom I have had 

some conversation on the subject ; and to the Committee. 

And I would thank you to acknowledge the receipt of it that 

I may know whether you have received the book. 

With respect, your obedient servant, 

Wm. Ladd. 
23 



178 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 

At this distance of time, it may fairly be claimed 
that those fearful apprehensions in this regard were 
wholly groundless. There is no danger whatever that 
the obelisk now erected on Bunker Plill will ever be 
battered down by a hostile power, or that its massive 
material will be disjointed and used for Avorks of mili- 
tary defence, as suggested by Mr. Ladd's letter. It 
will always be its own great defender. Much less 
reason there is to fear that, like the Napoleon Column 
in Place Yendome, it will ever be thrown down in the 
rage of some civil commotion. It will stand ever, 
fast-rooted in our Earth, impregnable, alike in its 
matchless construction, and in the affections of the 
people whose proud inheritance of glory it com- 
memorates. INothing but some dire convulsion of 
nature, under God's overruling providence, can sub- 
vert it. Whenever, by an unalterable international 
law, all nations by general consent, following the 
recent example of Great Britain and the United States 
of America, shall substitute Arbitration for War as 
their " ultima ratio," it will still be as dearly cherished 
for its sacred associations with the glorious memories 
of the past, and its incentives to the highest hopes of 
the future; nor can it ever be deemed offensive, or 
even inappropriate in form, as commemorating the 
success of the great Cause itself, for which men gave 
their lives, and not simply as expressing the merited 
praise of their heroic death. 




CHAPTER IX. 

Incipere dimidium est. 

T OAMMI BALDWIN was born in 1780, in Wo- 
-'— ^ burn, a township set off from Charlestown. 
His father, Loammi Baldwin, was what was termed a 
" self-made man," by which is ordinarily meant one who 
has improved what advantages he had wherever he 
conld find them outside of school or college, and after 
school-days are over. He was a particular friend of 
his neighbor in early life, Benjamin Thompson, after- 
wards the celebrated Count Kumford. They fre- 
quently walked to Cambridge to attend the courses 
of college lectures on Mechanics and Natural Philoso- 
phy. Both came to be distinguished, — Count Rum- 
ford on the continent of Europe and in England; and 
Baldwin at home, and in his native Connty of Middle- 
sex. The latter received an honorary degree at 
Harvard College, and was Fellow of the American 
Academy. He was employed, as Director of the 
Corporation, in superintending the construction of 
the Middlesex Canal, which connected the waters of 
the Merrimack and Charles Rivers. He had three 
sons, who became celebrated as civil engineers, and 
had the charge of many important public works, both 
in the planning and execution. 



180 HISTORY OF THE 

LoaiTimi Baldwin, the son, was a graduate of Har- 
vard College, of the famous class of 1800, in which 
were Washington Allston, the artist. Colonel Samuel 
Swett, the first historian of the Battle of Bunker Hill, 
Chief-justice Lemuel Shaw, Judge Samuel Prescott 
Putnam Fay, and Pev. Dr. Charles Low^ell. He was 
fond of telling a playful anecdote of his own experi- 
ence in the profession of the law, which he first under- 
took. He had a great many callers at his office, he 
said; but they always came to inquire where Fay's 
office was, and he would kindly direct them to his 
classmate in the story above. He soon shut up his 
office, and devoted himself to the profession of a civil 
engineer, for which he thoroughly prepared himself. 
For this purpose he went abroad, and continued his 
education under the advice and patronage of Count 
Pumford, his father's old friend. He was deemed to 
be the first civil engineer of the United States in his 
time, and had the charge of the construction of the 
dry docks at the Charlestown and Norfolk N^aval 
Stations, and of other national works; and he was also 
employed to make surveys and reconnoissances of 
great undertakings proposed by the Commonwealth 
of Massachusetts and the City of Boston, as w^ell as 
by corporations and public bodies out of the State. 
His great forte was the ability to estimate rightly 
the strength of materials for different structures, and 
of foundations for arches of bridges, and to draw de- 
signs combining gracefulness with strength of con- 
struction. He made himself conversant also with the 
principles of architecture, especially as applied to all 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 181 

structures of this kind. He was the first to recom- 
mend the making of a tunnel through the Hoosac 
Mountain, as lying in the way of the best route con- 
necting Boston with Hudson Kiver; and, had this 
long-delayed enterprise been carried on in his day 
and nnder his superintendence, the Commonwealth 
would have been richer by many millions than she 
now is. He was also appointed sole commissioner by 
the City of Boston to examine the diflferent sources of 
water supply, and to report the best source, and one 
of a sufficient elevation, to furnish the city with pure 
water by gravitation. His report is a complete and 
exhaustive treatise on the subject of wells, aqueducts, 
and water supply. Boston was not ready to carry 
on the work in his lifetime, — his death occurred in 
1838; but it was done under the direction of his 
brother, James F. Baldwin, and, singularly enough, 
the Mystic Water Works, a twin source of supply for 
the newly annexed territory of Charlestown and the 
adjoining municipalities, and now the almost invaluable 
possession of Boston, were constructed under the 
superintendence of his younger brother, George R. 
Baldwin. He also furnished, with great pains, the 
Directors of the Warren Bridge Corj^oration with an 
elaborate plan of a wide stone bridge, with two cir- 
cular drive-ways over the channel, the adoption of 
which would have saved an incalculable sum to the 
united cities. 

It was fortunate that the Association was able to 
have, in the beginning, his valuable and gratuitous 
services as chairman of this important Committee, to 



182 HISTORY OF THE 

whom was referred the general subject of the plan of 
a monument, to be m the form of an obelisk or some 
pyramidal structure. In the records he is more com- 
monly named as Colonel Baldwin, though he was 
never commissioned with any military title; bnt from 
his professional eminence, and his noble personal 
bearing, the title was put upon him by a sort of popu- 
lar authority, and it became a part of his name, — in 
these days he would have been called a general, by 
common consent; or he might have inherited the title 
from his father, who really was a colonel in the 
Revolutionary army. 

Two of his associates on this Committee of the 
Association were not on the Board of Directors, — his 
classmate Allston and Dr. Jacob Bigelow, who were 
selected as being connoisseurs in works of this nat- 
ure ; while his other classmate. Colonel Swett, and also 
Professor Ticknor, were taken as the fittest represen- 
tatives of the Board in the line of art. 

The whole Committee spent much time in deter- 
mining the proportions of the Monument. Colonel 
Baldwin took them to the Boston and Roxbury Mill- 
dam, whence, across the then vacant space, the surface 
of Bunker Hill could be seen; and he fastened against 
the railing of the sidewalk, in turn, miniature models 
he had prepared of different proportions, and then, 
going to a sufficient distance in the oj^posite direction, 
so that the model would appear to the eye to be trans- 
ferred to the hill, as if standing thereon in full size, he 
would study with them its effect as seen at a distance. 
Thus, by comparison, they were enabled to decide 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 183 

upon the proper size of base, and the proper scale of 
diminish which would seem to be most striking. In 
this way, they fixed npon the size and proportion 
which they reported. They departed from the model 
of Greenough, which showed the form of an obelisk 
npon an extended platform twenty feet high, with a 
shaft one hundred feet high, reached by a flight of steps 
on each of the four sides of the base, with buttresses 
at the corners, for the reception of appropriate orna- 
ments; perhaps for the reason that his plan would 
be too expensive, but more probably because a lower 
platform and a loftier shaft would be more effective. 
They reported a platform twenty feet wide, and only 
two feet high, which yet remains to be constructed. 

When the whole Committee had agreed upon the out- 
ward form, the report as to details and style of the inte- 
rior construction was mainly intrusted to the chairman. 
The whole report w^as drawn up by Colonel Baldwin 
in his own neat, uniform, and compact handwriting, 
the original of which is still preserved. It was first 
read at the meeting of the Board held July 1, 1825, 
by Mr. Ticknor, in the absence of the chairman; and 
at the adjourned meeting, July 5, it was unanimously 
adopted. It is as follows : — 

To the Directors of the Bunker Hill Monument Association. 

The Committee appointed at a meeting of the Directors of 
the Bunker Hill Monument Association, on the seventh day of 
June, 1825, " to report a design of an obelisk or pyramidal 
structure, and to consider and report on the subject gen- 
erally," beg leave to report : — 



184 HISTORY OF THE 

That they have carefully examined and considered the sub- 
ject submitted to them by the above vote of the Board, and 
that they are unanimously of opinion that the most suitable 
monument to be erected, pursuant to the design of the As- 
sociation, is an obelisk, or frustum of a quadrangular pyramid, 
the base of which shall be a square of thirty feet on each side, 
to rise two hundred and twenty feet from tlie platform or 
ground on which it is to be erected ; to be surmounted with 
an apex having its upper angle ninety degrees, and to be 
fifteen feet square at the top, agreeably to the plans and 
section herewith presented. 

That the position of the building shall be such that its 
four faces shall be respectively opposite the four cardinal 
points of the compass, and the north and south faces shall 
intersect, at right angles, the plane of the meridian passing 
through the axis of the monument. 

That the foundation shall be laid twelve feet deep, or at 
such a depth as to give, upon careful examination of the 
ground, a stable and certain support to the fabric ; and, upon 
the supposition that twelve feet is a sufficient depth for this 
purpose, the foundation shall commence on a square of fifty 
feet upon each side, and rise, by regular offsets or otherwise, to 
the proper height to receive the base of the obelisk, where it 
shall be at least thirty feet square. The stones composing the 
foundation to be at least two feet thick, and of the largest 
dimensions consistent with due economy and convenience in 
works of such magnitude. The stones to be all dressed or 
hammered in their bed and build, and to have no small irreg- 
ular stones or rubble-work in the foundation. 

That, in order to obtain a sufficient knowledge of the nat- 
ure of the soil on which the foundation is to be placed, it is 
expedient to sink a well near the proposed site, either on the 
meridian before named, or on a line at right angles with it, 
opposite the centre of the east or west front. The Board 
will thus ascertain to what depth, and in what manner, a 
secure foundation will be attainable, and at the same time 
procure a convenient supply of water for all purposes re- 
quired in the work. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 185 

That, previous to excavating for the foundation, the site 
should be carefully examined, to ascertain at what level, in 
relation to the surface of the hill about it, the platform shall 
be fixed ; so that in forming the terre-plein, or a suitable and 
convenient area round the monument, an economical disposi- 
tion of the earth shall be obtained, without incurring the 
expense of costly excavation or filling. Upon this point the 
Committee consider it very essential to preserve as high a 
level for the platform as the nature of the land will admit, 
consistent with that easy approach to, and promenade round, 
a public monument of such grandeur and importance. 

That the obelisk shall be erected of the dimensions and 
proportions and in the manner represented in the plan and 
section of the drawing herewith presented. That is to say, 
there shall be formed, in the interior of the building, a hollow 
newel or drum, six feet in its interior diameter, and rising from 
the level of the platform to the top, to consist of a circular 
wall one foot and a half in thickness. Round this newel 
shall be constructed a winding staircase of hewn stone, four 
feet wide at bottom, with steps having rises not exceeding 
eight inches, and of such breadth of tread as to make an easy 
and commodious ascent. The interior face of the principal 
walls shall be circular and concentric with the newel, and the 
stairs shall be firmly imbedded in, and connected with, said 
walls at one end, and at the other they shall be secured in 
the circular wall, which forms the inner drum or newel. 
There shall be formed, at intervals, suitable landings, or 
places of repose, in the staircase, with narrow openings 
through the said circular wall of the newel, for the introduc- 
tion of air and light. Through, the principal walls of the 
obelisk shall be made openings to admit light, to be as high 
upon 'the outside as the thickness of one of the exterior stone 
courses, and half an inch or an inch wide. The interior 
of said openings to diverge sufficiently for tlie admission of 
light ; or that said o[)enings on the exterior shall be two or 
three inches wide, and filled, flush with the face of the build- 
ing, with thick blocks of ground-glass, so as to preserve at 

2i 



186 HISTORY OF THE 

a distance the appearance of uniformity in the color of the 
monument. 

The principal outward walls of the structure shall consist 
of large, well-hammered stones, with the bed and build ham- 
mered or dressed sufficiently to give solidity to the whole 
mass, and no backing stones to be used which are not also 
well dressed, and of proper magnitude to suit the size of the 
exterior courses, which shall be from two to three feet in 
height, so as to present as few joints as possible to the 
weather. 

That, in the execution of the work, it is expedient to make 
such contracts for supplying the materials, making the neces- 
sary excavations, dressing and hammering the stones, &c., as 
shall be found economical and expeditious ; but that the 
erection of the obelisk, and all labor of laying the foundation, 
should be intrusted to the care and superintendence of an 
experienced stone-mason, of known industry and integrit}', 
and the work to be performed by hired workmen under his 
direction. 

That some skilful architect should be employed, in whom 
the public, as well as the Board, may justly have confidence, 
who shall make and prepare the detailed and working plans ; 
and who shall see that the execution of the monument shall 
be, throughout, faithfully and substantially performed, agree- 
ably to the plans and directions to be adopted and delivered 
by the Board, or a committee by them appointed for that 
purpose. 

That, in order to carry on this most important work in a 
simple, expeditious, and efficient manner, it is expedient that 
a building committee, to consist of three members of the 
Board, should be appointed, to whom shall be delegated full 
and ample powers to enter into all contracts ; employ an 
architect, superintending stone-mason, and other workmen 
and laborers ; to furnish materials ; and generally to do and 
perform all things in behalf of the Association which shall 
be necessary for the completion of the monument. 

That, when the obelisk shall have been completed, and not 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 187 

before, there shall be formed round it a firm platform of 
broad, well-hammered stones, resting on foundation walls, 
and extending to the distance of twenty feet from each face 
of the building ; having at the exterior boundary three steps 
of not more than eight inches rise each, running round the 
whole platform : the steps and platform to rest on firm and 
substantial stone walls, to be laid in such manner and to such 
depths as to resist all action of frost, or other ordinary cause 
of derangement. 

That the construction of said platform, as well as every 
disposition or appropriation of the land belonging to the As- 
sociation, round or adjoining the site of the monument, should 
be postponed until the completion of the obelisk, or until 
some urgent and unexpected exigency shall otherwise require. 

That the estimate of the expense of the monument which 
is hereto annexed, and which the committee request may be 
considered part of their report, has been made upon consulta- 
tion with one of the most experienced and skilful stone- 
masons that your Committee are acquainted with ; and they 
present it, as nearly conformable to the foregoing description, 
and the most satisfactory as to its result, which can be ex- 
pected for a work so entirely new and peculiar as the pro- 
posed monument. 

In presenting this general description of a plan for the 
monument, together with a sketch of the scheme to be pur- 
sued in its erection, your Committee are aware that many 
details and minute descriptions of the work are wanting. 
They have considered that these might well be omitted in 
their report, as they would more properly be considered in 
preparing working plans for the execution of the edifice ; and 
more especially as many slight deviations and modifications 
will necessarily be made in the workmanship, which require 
the attention and care of the architect. But they have 
thought enough has been given to enable the Board to decide 
upon its general merits. Several other propositions have 
been examined, which presented dimensions and proportions 
varying from tliose of the plan they herein recommend. One 



188 HISTORY OF THE 

scheme was to preserve the relative proportion of base and 
top, and to make the base a square of forty feet, and the top 
twenty feet. Another was to enlarge the base to forty or 
fifty feet, and give the top a proportionally smaller area, so 
as to present an outline more distinctly pyramidal. But your 
Committee having taken into consideration the funds already 
provided or probably attainable, as well as the practical com- 
pliance with the general wishes of the Board and the public, 
had no hesitation in adopting the plan recommended, as the 
one most likely to be finally and satisfactorily accomplished. 

All which is respectfully submitted by 

L. Baldwin. 
Geo. Ticknor. 
Jacob Bigelow. 
Saml. Swett. 
W. Allston. 
Boston, July 1, 1825. 

-Estimate of the Expenses of building an Obelisk 220 Feet JiigJi, on a Square 
Base of 30 Feet and 15 Feet, of Quincy Granite. 

Foundation. 



Excavation for foundation, say 52 feet square and 12 
" :52; ' 
216 



59 y 5"^ V r^ 
deep— '^ " "^ —150 squares at %2 per V $300 



square J 

Foundation of masonry, say 50 feet square at bottom, "] 

30 feet square at top, and 12 feet deep = 781 1 y o<pv 
perches, which, including stones, hammering, mor- ( ' 
tar, laying, &c., at $10 per perch J 



Obelisk. 

Stones for tvalls of the obelisk 3,538 perches, of which > ai- qqk 

1,179 or 1 for outside, at $5 per perch . . . . ^^^1°-^^ 

and 2,349 or |- for interior, at $3 per pei'ch . . 7,047 



S8,140 



Hammered iace of obelisk 220 feet high, 3 feet base,"' 

and 15 at top, on each side = — X 220 = 4950 

feet square on each exterior face, or 4,950 X 4 r= 
19,800 square feet in the whole, at $0.50 . . . ■ 



0,900 
22,832 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 



189 



Amount brought forward 

Average area of masonry 402 feet, 147 courses of \\ 
foot each, gives for bed and build in square feet 
402 X l-'7 X 2=: 118,188 feet. Add l for perpen- 
dicular joints 59,094 



S22,832 



8,140 



outside 

Hammering . = 147,735 
„ forontside= 29,547 



177,282 ; from this deduct 1 for 
29,547 

feet, at S0.06 = $8,864. 
,, .25= 7,386.^ 

330 steps^ 8. inches rise, average tread 1 foot, ham-) 
mered rise and tread, say 2 feet, and 4 long in the > 
draw = 4 X2 X 330 = 2,640 square feet, at $0.50) 

Stones for steps, 1.16 X .67 X 6 = 4.66 cubic feet in 
each, say 5 feet at $0.20=: $1 per step . . . $330 
Laying do. at $1 each 330 

Laying 3,538 perches at $5 per perch, including scaf- > 
folds, rigging, &c ) 

Extra hammermq and • laying circular staircase and ) 
hollownewel,'say 20,000 feet, at $0.20 . . . . j 

Roman cement, say 100 casks, at $7 . . . . $700 7 
Lime and sand, at $0.75 per perch .... 2,653) 



Platform. 

Platform, say 20 feet wide all round, and 3 steps 1 
foot 2 inches tread each =5,029 square feet of top 
surface. Kise of steps 8 inches, say 1 foot for 
top, &c. . . . = 1,176 square feet. 
5,029 

Hammered face =6,205 square feet at $1.25, in- 
cluding stones, hammering, and laying .... 



Y 16,250 



Foundation walls for platform and steps, say equal to 
\ wall under whole 6 feet deep, 107 X 23.5 X 6 = 
603 perches, at $5 = 

Excavation for platform 24 feet wide all round the 
obelisk, and 6 feet deep, = 143 squares, at $1 . 



1,320 



660 



17,690 



4,000 



3,353 



y $7,756 



3,015 



143 



5,115 



10,914 
4,831 



Add for windows, iron clamps, railing to staircase, 
framework for window on top, door, &c. . . . 

$90,000 
Add also for contingencies, superintendence, &c 10,000 

Total $100,000 



The number of the Building Committee was, how- 
ever, enkirged from three to five; and General Sullivan 



190 HISTORY OF THE 

was appointed to draw up the rules for their govern- 
ment. 

On July 12, the following gentlemen were chosen 
by ballot to be the Building Committee: L. Bald- 
win, S. Knowles, J. C. Warren, General Dearborn, 
and Amos Lawrence. 

Colonel Baldwin was probably called from home at 
this time on his surveys, as would appear from the 
date of the following reply : — 

Boston, Aug. 8, 1825. 

Dear Sie, — I had the pleasure of receiving a note from 
you, informing me that, on the 12th of July last, I had the 
honor of being elected a member of the Committee for erecting 
the Bunker Hill Monument ; and to day I was favored with 
a copy of the rule^ and regulations to govern the Building 
Committee, adopted July 12, 1825, and I feel much obliged 
by your communication of this document. I must, however, 
decline serving on this Committee ; and I beg you to acquaint 
the Board of Directors that, while I am duly impressed with 
the honor conferred by their vote, I can never serve them, or 
any other body of men, under such rules and regulations as 
they have adopted to govern the proceedings of the Com- 
mittee. My objections are principally founded on the 3d and 
6th articles. I never have been, and I can never consent to 
be, employed on any service where I am to be personally 
responsible, in a pecuniary way, for accidents and occurrences 
beyond my control ; neither can I consent to be placed in a 
situation which may render others liable by my acts, or where 
I am myself to become liable by the acts of otliers. If the 
Board think these restrictions and conditions important, I 
presume they will find other members who are wilhng to 
serve under them ; and I should hope that a committee of five 
might be selected from such a Board as that of the Directors 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 191 

of the Bunker Hill Monument Association, without binding 
them by such severe conditions. 

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

L. Baldwii;^^. 

This letter was at once referred to General Sulli- 
van with instructions to confer with Colonel Baldwin. 
The result of the conference was a second letter, in 
which Colonel Baldwin, on account of his other en- 
gagements then pressing upon him, felt obliged to 
send in his absolute resignation : — 

WiNCHENDEN, Sept. 27, 1825. 

Deae Sir, — Your letter of the 10th inst. was received a 
few d-dy& ago at Athol, while on my return from Connecticut 
River to Westminster ; and I owe you an apology for not 
replying sooner. The fact is, that I have been so constantly 
occupied with the surveys that I have not had time to an- 
swer it. A storm interrupts us to-day, and I avail myself of 
the first opportunity to acknowledge the receipt of it. 

I do not see how the conference you wish, and which I 
should be happy to have with you, can be obtained. My en- 
gagements are such that I shall not be able to return to 
Boston for several weeks, and perhaps you will not think it 
advisable to wait so long. 

When I returned to Boston witli the Canal Commissioners, 
I had but two or three days to spare, and was busy in pre- 
paring for the survey's I am now making. I could not of 
course see any of the Committee who had been appointed 
with me, and am therefore ignorant of their opinions or feel- 
ings as to the points upon which my objections rest. As to 
any modification of the rules adopted by the Board, I cer- 
tainly do not wish for any. When the rules and regulations 
were reported to the Board, I believe no objection was made 
except by myself, and my objections were principally confined 



192 HISTORY OF THE 

to that article which provides that the Committee should be 
personally liable for any excess which the contracts or ex- 
penses of the monument should amount to above the money 
in the treasury. I proposed an amendment to the following 

purport, viz. : "• Voted that the sum of dollars be 

appropriated for the erection of the monument, and that the 
building committee hereafter to be appointed be particularly 
requested and instructed to regulate their contracts and ex- 
penditures so that the payments shall not exceed that amount, 
unless further appropriations are made, or they are otherwise 
directed by this Board." 

This was the substance of what I proposed in the discus- 
sion, as nearly as I can remember ; and several members 
seemed to be satisfied with this substitute for the one which 
appeared to me, in every point of view, objectionable : and the 
reported rules were handed back to the chairman of the Com- 
mittee, with an understanding, as I thought, that the pro- 
posed modification should be made. I have not since attended 
a meeting of the Board. 

On my return to town, I found a letter from the Secretary, 
informing me I had been appointed one of the Building Com- 
mittee, and also indorsing a copy of the rules and regulations 
adopted by the Board to govern their proceedings. I was 
not a little surprised to find the original penal condition was 
retained, as nearly as I now recollect (for I have not the 
papers with me) ; and that, by other articles, <iny three of the 
five Committee might constitute a quorum, and that every 
member of it was jointly and severally liable for the doings of 
the whole. This mode of doing business appears to me quite 
new; and I never heard that a committee, appointed by any 
corporation or association whatever, was subjected to such 
penal conditions. I know of but one thing more, which 
would have been added ; and that is, to have ordered the 
Committee to go before a magistrate, and enter into recogni- 
zance, jointly and severally, for their good behavior during 
the erection of the monument. 

In my acquaintance with business, I have never known an 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 193 

instance where an association of any kind, either incorporated 
or not, either charitable or otherwise, where a specific object 
was to be obtained, or where a particuLar sum was to be ap- 
propriated, that a committee appointed to carry into efl'ect 
the views of the institution has been subjected to such severe 
terms of service. In labors merely honorary and charitable, 
as I consider that of the Committee and whole Board to be, it 
is rather an anomaly to throw the whole responsibility upon 
five, or perhaps one, of the Committee, as you would bind 
down a contractor or his bondsmen for common mechanical 
labor. 

I hope you will not suppose I am wanting in respect for 
the Board, in making these remarks, and repeating my ob- 
jections with my wish to be excused from serving on the 
Committee. On the contrary, I feel it an honor to be among 
the members of the Board, and should be proud of an oppor- 
tunity to contribute all in my power to further their design. 
Neither are my objections founded upon any suspicion of the 
judgment or fairness of the other members of the Committee. 
They are gentlemen with whom I am happy to be acquainted ; 
and with them, under any circumstances, it would give me 
great pleasure to be connected, either in amusement or 
business. 

Under all circumstances, I beg to be excused from serving 
on the Committee. My occupations are and will be such for 
several months that it would be utterly impossible to render 
any service at present ; though, whether on the Committee or 
not, I shall cheerfully contribute all the information or assist- 
ance which they or the Board may think me capable of 
rendering. I presume the opinions of the Board, after hav- 
ing heard ray objections to the rules, which to me are insur- 
mountable, remain so different from mine that no modification 
can be made. 

Verj' respectfully, your obedient servant, 

L. Baldwin. 

25 



194 HISTORY OF THE 

The Boardj in accepting his resignation October 4, 
1825, instructed the Secretary " to write him a letter 
expressive of the regret felt by the Directors that 
for the reasons assigned by him they cannot have the 
benefit of his services as Chairman of the Building 
Committee, and tendering him the thanks of the 
Directors for his offer of such advice and assistance 
as he may be able to afford." They then revised the 
regulations to conform to his suggestions, and elected 
Dr. Warren chairman, and General Sullivan as the 
fifth member, and also George Blake, in place of Seth 
Knowles, resigned. The Building Committee were 
also made " a Standing Committee, with authority to 
exercise all the powers of the Directors in the manage- 
ment of the affairs of the Corporation, and to call 
meetings of the Directors whenever they shall deem 
it expedient." 

Meanwhile, the Directors did not entirely overlook 
the other object of their incorporation, — the collecting, 
for historical purjjoses, all the incidents, traditions, and 
memorials of the Battle of Bunker Hill, and of the 
whole period of the American Revolution. The 
articles of this sort which had been gathered by the 
Washington Benevolent Society were delivered over 
to the Association, which in turn placed them in dif- 
ferent depositories, for the want of any permanent 
quarters of its own. Some of these are still in the 
possession of the Massachusetts Historical Society. 
It having been brought by General Lyman to the 
knowledge of the Directors that the sword which 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 195 

General Warren bore in battle was in the possession 
of a Mr. Dnnhara of Maine, who procured it in Hali- 
fax, and that it could be well authenticated as such ; 
and General Sullivan having carefully examined the 
evidence concerning it, and declared that it was " as 
conclusive as that upon which property, and sometimes 
life, is disposed of by courts of law," — it was pur- 
chased by the Directors, for the sum of twenty-five 
dollars, and was committed to Dr. Warren for safe 
keeping. 

While the survivors of the Revolution were convened 
in Boston to attend the laying of the corner-stone of 
the Monument, their several depositions were taken 
of their reminiscences of the Battle. But the accounts 
they gave were confused and conflicting; so much so 
that no reliable information could be obtained from 
them. At a meeting of the Directors, General Sulli- 
van stated to the Board " that he had possession of the 
papers containing the accounts given by the survivors 
of the Battle of the 17th June, 1775, and that he pro- 
posed to hold them subject to the inspection of the 
Directors exclusively." His proposal was assented to, 
as the most expedient course to be adopted. Where 
they are now, nobody knows. 

Important negotiations were carried on with the 
Selectmen and the Town of Charlestown. They were 
asked to sell the Training-field, a tract of about 50,000 
square feet lying near the lands of the Association, 
and to appropriate the proceeds of the sale thereof to 



196 HISTORY OF THE 

the building of the Monument, receiving therefor a 
permanent right to use a square, to be laid out 600 feet 
long by 400 feet wide, as a common and military parade- 
ground. The town Committee, "John Soley, Sam- 
uel Payson, George Bartlett, Nathaniel Austin, "Wil- 
liam Austin, John Skinner, and Oliver Holden, 
.Esquires," to whom the matter was referred, reported 
that the town had no authority to sell the Training- 
field, and it intended to appropriate it to public uses 
of its own ; but it offered to pay the sum of $6,500 for 
the proposed privilege, — $5,000 by subscription, and 
$1,500 by a town tax. This arrangement was rati- 
fied by both parties, but it was never carried out; the 
town never having made the appropriation for the 
payment of the $1,500, and the subscriptions not quite 
reaching the stipulated sum, though amounting to 
nearly $5,000. 

Had the agreement been perfected. Monument 
Square would have been nearly 200 feet longer than 
it now is, and the City of Boston would have suc- 
ceeded to a permanent right to its use. Five public 
buildings were afterwards erected on the Training- 
field, and remained there till 1847, when, upon the 
recommendation of G. Washington Warren, Mayor, 
they were all removed by the City of Charlestown, 
then established, and the place was neatly fitted up 
and called Winthrop Square. On June 17, 1871, a 
Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, in " honor of those 
who fought for their countrj^," was dedicated by the 
City Council, Hon. Bichard Frothingham delivering 
the address. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 197 

The town in 1825 desired the Association to cede 
some of its land for the widening of High and Train- 
ingfield (now Winthrop) Streets, which was cheer- 
fully done. It is to be regretted that the town 
authorities did not further provide for the public 
interest, by laying out a spacious avenue from the 
site of the Monument, which was then determined, to 
the Town's Square, near Charles River Bridge, which 
would have given* a direct access to the battle-field from 
Boston, and have afforded an unobstructed view of 
the Monument, — a duty that yet remains to be done. 

The inevitable controversy about taxes sprung ujd 
between the town and the Association. General 
Dearborn, Chairman of the Standing Committee, on 
receiving a tax-bill for the year 1825, on its land to 
the amount of $90, remonstrated in his eloquent strain 
with the assessors. He wrote them : " It cannot be 
possible that the patriotic citizens of Charlestown will 
impose a tax on the tomb of the soldiers who expired 
on their memorable heights in the bloody contest for 
liberty." To this appeal, Josiah Harris, Chairman of 
the Board, politely replied: "It is not their intention 
or desire to tax the tomb of the soldiers who expired 
on that ever-memorable height; but they cannot thint; 
that such of the lands as were contemplated to be 
laid out into house-lots should be exempted from 
taxation." The tax was paid that year, and the two 
years succeeding; and afterwards the Legislature ex- 
empted the property of the Association from taxation, 
its funds having been exhausted. 



198 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 

The Treasurer promptly entered every subscription 
and duly acknowledged it. Assisted by Mr. Everett, 
he saw also to the filling out and the delivery of the 
copper-plate certificates to those who had paid as much 
as five dollars. He received a copy of the following 
vote, handsomely written by an expert calligraphist: — 

At a meeting of the Directors of the Bunker Hill Monu- 
ment Association, on the 25th of June, 1825, — 

Voted, That the Directors of the Association entertain a 
grateful sense of the faithful, unwearied, and most important 
services of Nathaniel P. Russell, during the year past, in the 
character of Treasurer of this Institution. And that it is 
due to this gentleman to make this acknowledgment public, 
that all the members of the Association may have the oppor- 
tunity of knowing and of appreciating the highly useful labor 
of this department. 

By order of the Directors, 

John C. Warken, 

Secretary p. t. 

On September 1, 1825, the Treasurer reported that 
the whole amount of subscriptions actually received 
by him (including $385.56 interest) was $54,433.07. 
The payments for the land, laying of the corner-stone, 
engraving certificates, and other miscellaneous ex- 
penses, came to 129,416.03. He had placed |25,000 
on interest at the Suffolk Bank, at 5 per cent interest, 
and had $17.04 in his hands. Upon the strength of 
this, and in the faith that the remainder would be 
seasonabl}^ supplied, the Directors voted to commence 
the obelisk, estimated to cost $100,000, and placed 
$25,000 at the disposal of the Building Committee. 




s ^ 15 ir r j^ 



CHAPTER X. 

The noblest motive is the public good. 

S0L0M0:N' "WILLARD was unanimously elected 
architect of the Monument, at a full meeting of 
the Building Committee, held at the house of the 
Chairman, October 31, 1825. The Committee then 
voted that " the offices of superintendent and archi- 
tect be united in the same pei-son." Mr. Everett was 
present also, and was requested to act as Secretary. 
His record states at the close, " The meeting of the 
Committee being now dissolved, the Hon. D. Webster, 
P]-esident, and Mr. Justice Story, Yice-President, of 
the Association, were introduced; and the whole com- 
jDany proceeded to partake of an excellent dinner at 
the table of the hospitable Chairman." A more select 
company of distinguished characters, eminent for in- 
tellect, wit, high attainment, and a genial flow of con- 
verse, could hardly be gathered in any city, than were 
those eight gentlemen sitting down to a feast to dis- 
cuss the fortunate appointment they had made. 

Mr. "Willard's reputation as an architect being es- 
tablished, information had been sought with regard 
to his practical talent and ability to manage a great 
undertaking in all its details. To confidential in- 



200 HISTORY OF THE 

quirics previously made upon this point, the fol- 
lowing, among other recommendations, had been 
received : — 

Boston, Oct. 8, 1825. 
Doc. J. C. Warren, 

Deak Sm, — I have received j'our note of yesterday, re- 
questing me to inform you whether I consider Mr. Solomon 
Willard competent to make the contracts, and superintend 
the execution of any considerable and important work in stone. 
In reply, I have to observe that I have known Mr. Willard 
as an architect for some years, and during the last eighteen 
months have been intimatel}^ acquainted with him. 

The Directors of the Office of Discount and Deposit of the 
Bank of the United States, in this city, employed Mr. Wil- 
lard as their architect, for erecting the new banking-house. 
Mr. Willard made the original model, drew all the plans of 
the work, and has daily been consulted as the Avork pro- 
gressed. 

The Building Committee were instructed to make all the 
contracts. Mr. Willard was, however, almost always consulted 
before any contract was concluded. I found him perfectly 
acquainted with all the technical phrases used by mechanics, 
and the mode and general custom of measuring stone-work. 
Had the Building Committee not had the advantage of Mr. 
Willard's advice, they would have been liable to great im- 
positions in making their contracts, and carrjnng them into 
effect. I am not able to say whether Mr. Willard possesses 
a sufficient knowledge of book-keeping and accounts to 
qualify him to take the sole superintendence of an important 
public work ; but I consider him fully competent to make the 
contracts and superintend the erection. In all my inter- 
course with Mr. Willard, I have found him strictly moral and 
sober, and of indefatigable industry. Mr. Willard's extreme 
modesty and reserve have prevented, in some degree, his real 
merit being known; and, justly estimated, he is a man that 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 201 

must be brought out, — he will not show himself. Should you 
conclude to employ Mr. Willard, I feel confident he will not 
disappoint your expectations. 

With great respect, I remain truly, 

Your obedient servant, 

Daniel P. Parker. 

Colonel Perkins had also been requested to give 
his opinion, and he wrote to Dr. AYai'ren : " I can say, 
with great truth and with much pleasure, that the 
Building Committee of the bank have had every 
reason to be satisfied with Mr. AVillard, the architect, 
both as an able artist and a most confidential agent; 
and I know of no one who would so well answer your 
purpose as this person. In the course of the execu- 
tion of your duty, you will find it necessary to employ 
a person not only to find where the material of which 
you build can be best had, but also to make contracts 
for stone, &c. And a man of loose principles may% if 
employed, impose upon you grossly without your 
knowing it, or having it in your power to detect his 
knavery." Mr. "Willard was also personally known 
to each member of the Committee, having had fre- 
quent interviews with them in explaining the designs 
and estimates he had previously made at their request; 
and he must have impressed them all with his peculiar 
fitness for his position, not only from his skill and 
l^rofessional ability, but from his enthusiastic interest 
in this undertaking. 

He was, like the elder Baldwin, a self-educated 
man as to his professional training. He received the 
usual common-school education in his native town, 

26 



202 HISTORY OF THE 

Petersham, in Worcester County, Massachusetts; 
where he remained with his father — who was a car- 
penter, and taught him in his shop the use of tools — 
till he was twenty-one years of age. While at home 
he mastered Euclid's geometry, and showed consider- 
able expertness in mechanical inventions. lie then 
came to Boston to seek, not his fortune (as is the 
object of so many), but his own intellectual improve- 
ment, and the means and opportunity of doing greater 
good. He had, at the time of this appointment, spent 
twenty-one other ^^ears in Boston, in the school of 
self-culture; cultivating to the greatest extent that 
wide field of literary and scientific advantage which it 
is the great glory of the metropolis of New Eng- 
land to aff"ord to all who come there to search for 
knowledge. 

Nor was he insensible to the pride of true ancestral 
fame. He was the fifth in descent from Major Simon 
Willard, who emigrated to Cambridge, Massachusetts, 
from the County of Kent, in England, in 1634, at the 
age of twent^^-nine, and, after having won the highest 
distinction, died in Charlestown in 1671, soon after 
completing his seventy-first year. From him a numer- 
ous and honored progeny has sjDrung. Solomon was 
the fourth in descent from Rev. Samuel Willard, who 
was Pastor of the Old South Church, and afterwards 
acted as President of Harvard College. Many others 
of his lineage became celebrated in the University, 
and also in civil and military life; among whom was 
one who gave his life to his country in the Battle of 
Bunker Hill. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 203 

Mr. AVillai'd received from Dr. Warren the notice 
of his appointment with great satisfaction, and he ex- 
pressed his willingness to render his services gratni- 
tonsly. The Committee, however, insisted upon his 
receiving some compensation, — snfficient at least to 
pay his expenses. Under this view, it was fixed at 
five hundred dollars a year; which was more than Mr. 
AVillard desired, as his personal expenses would not 
reach that figure. He was never married, and he had 
learned to practise the greatest economy; not as a 
miser, but to do good with his savings. He subscribed 
and paid one thousand dollars towards the Monument, 
and induced those w^hom he hired for the Association 
to subscribe what they could. 

His first care was to select the material. After a 
long search in various quarters, he at last discovered 
the desired quarry of gray granite in the western 
part of Quincy. He found, upon careful examination, 
that here was an inexhaustible quantity of the very 
best material for building purposes that could any- 
where be obtained; and his selection led to its general 
introduction, not only into Boston, but all over the 
countr3\ Thus Solomon Willard and Frederic Tudor 
were mainly instrumental in discovering to Massachu- 
setts her two chief staples of export, which have 
given her a remarkable reputation over the globe, — 
granite and ice. The privilege of quarrying as much 
granite as would be required for the Monument was 
purchased of Mr. Gridley Bryant, for $325. Mr. 
AVillard demonstrated to the Committee that the As- 
sociation could quarry the stone at its own expense 



204 HISTORY OF THE 

much cheaper than it could be furnished by contractors. 
The result showed that there was a saving in the cost 
of material alone of over f 60,000. Thus the recom- 
mendation by Colonel Perkins of Mr. Willard, as being 
the person most competent to select the material for 
this new structure, and as one who would scrupulously 
look out for the interest of the Association rather than 
for his jirivate emolument, was signally verified at the 
start. 

The winter of 1825-6 was occupied by Mr. Willard 
in studying the plan adopted, to see wherein it might 
be improved, and in drawing the working plans and 
models, and also in making the necessary calculations. 
Heretofore it had been quite difficult to obtain large 
blocks of stone, and those of extraordinary size were 
provided at a very high cost. Hence Colonel Bald- 
win had planned the courses of the Monument eigh- 
teen inches wide. The finding of this quarry, and the 
determination to work it on account of the Associa- 
tion, enabled Mr. "Willard to enlarge the courses to two 
feet eight inches; thus calling for more massive blocks, 
which would give a gigantic appearance to the struct- 
ure. It was also a work of great difficulty to calcu- 
late the size and weii>'ht of the blocks in the different 
courses, as, owing to the regular diminish from the 
base to the apex of the Monument, no two courses 
were alike, and it was necessary to draw a separate 
plan of the blocks in each course. In all other re- 
spects the exterior form, size, and proportion of the 
Monument, as delineated by Colonel Baldwin, were 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 205 

preserved: the same base, and diminish to the top, 
and the same depth and size of foundation; namely, 
fifty feet sqnare and twelve feet deep. But Mr. Wil- 
lard executed a finer dressing of the stones, especially 
of the interior courses, than Colonel Baldwin's plan 
called for. 

The following note, without date of day or year, an- 
nounced to Dr. Warren the intention to break ground 
on the hill; the excavation made for the formal cere- 
monial of the half-centui'y anniversary not having been 
sufficient. The box for the corner-stone Avas taken 
ont as suggested, and properly cared for until it was 
in a workmanlike manner replaced in the massive 
block which forms the north-east corner of the Monu- 
ment, — there to remain while time shall endure. 

Dear Sir, — I have enclosed the rules for the Building 
Committee sent me, having made a copy. In the last part 
of the third article there seems to be a want of precision. 
The digging of the foundation for the obelisk will be com- 
menced in a few days by a Boston man (the Charlestown 
prices being too high). It may be requisite to remove the 
rough stones which now overlay the corner; and, should this 
render the box deposited insecure, it occurred to me that it 
might be taken out for safe keeping until the work com- 
mences. We should like your directions respecting it when 
convenient. 

Yours, &c., 

Solomon Willard. 

In one other particular was the direction in the 
report of Colonel Baldwin departed from, — in the 



206 HISTORY OF THE 

planting of the Monnment. He deemed it essential 
that its four sides should be set square to the points 
of the compass, and he specified the way by Avhich 
this should be done with exactness. He thought a 
permanent strncture of this kind should be a scientific 
as well as an historic landmark. Dr. Warren, how- 
ever, his associates doubtless concurring, attempted 
to place it in the centre of the redoubt or fort as con- 
structed by Colonel Prescott, and parallel with the 
sides thereof; and the best means of ascertaining this 
which were then accessible were employed. 

In 1847, however, the City of Charlestown, upon 
recommendation of the Mayor, ordered a new survey 
and plan of the city to be made; which was done by 
the distinguished engineers, Samuel M. Felton and 
George A. Parker, who had been pupils of Colonel 
Baldwin. Their new lithographic plan happened to 
be made upon the same scale as that of Bernier and 
Lieutenant Page, made just after the battle, which is 
supposed to give the true location of the redoubt. By 
a comparison of these two plans, and a new surv^ey made 
by the city engineers of Boston in 1875, under direc- 
tion of his Honor Samuel C. Cobb, the present Mayor, 
the lines of the redoubt have been located anew, by 
which it would appear that the Monument stands on 
the south-east corner. Much labor has been recently 
employed in this research by Hon. Richard Frothing- 
ham, the present President of the Association, under 
whose supervision stone posts have been set in the 
ground, showing the boundaries of the redoubt as 
indicated by the new surveys. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 207 

In locating- the Monument, no vote was ever taken 
by the Directors or the Committee; but in all prob- 
ability the subject was fully discussed, and the 
Chairman acted in accordance with the conclusion 
informally arrived at. 

Mr. lYillard wrote to Dr. Warren, soon after the 
purchase of the Ledge : " Experiments have also been 
made with a temporary machine at dressing stone, by 
the inventor, with a success which I think will war- 
rant a trial at our Ledge with a more perfect appara- 
tus." By this it is evident that the intention to take 
advantage of the labor of the State prison was aban- 
doned as soon as the use of the newly discovered 
quarry was decided upon. The grant of the Legislat- 
lu'e of the sum of f 10,000 in labor in hammering stone 
w'as made, it may well be supposed, upon the estimate 
of the Association stated in the circular of Mr. Everett, 
signed by the Directors, which is printed in Chapter 
YL, — for a column to cost $37,000; and, in relation to 
that amount, it was a liberal grant. But Avhen the form 
of an obelisk was substituted for a column, and Colonel 
Baldwin was charged with the duty of furnishing 
the design, in carrying out the object stated in Gen- 
eral Sullivan's address, to erect "the grandest Monu- 
ment in the world," he drew his plan with no regard 
to so exceedingly low an estimate; and Willard, in 
maturing and perfecting that phm, had in view a struct- 
ure of still gi-eater cost. The idea of what the Monu- 
ment ought to be, and should be, expanded in his 
mind without regard to the existing means of the 
Association. 



208 HISTORY OF THE 

In commencing operations at the Ledge, Mr. "Wil- 
lard made the following proposition, which was ac- 
ceded to:— C^o^ yr^sl 

Dear Sie., — I called at your residence last evening. My 
object was to ascertain "whether you would consider it ex- 
pedient to erect a small building at Quincy, for the accom- 
modation of those who are employed at the Bunker Hill 
Ledge, as has been suggested some time ago. 

I have marked out a plan which I think would answer the 
purpose, and have obtained estimates for the building when 
completed. The dimensions on the plan are 32 feet by 25, — 
2 stories in front and one story in the rear, having a cellar, 
kitchen, dining-room, and chambers sufficient for 30 boarders. 
The situation best adapted, I think, would be on a gore of 
land of about half of an acre, cut from Mr. Hall's land by the 
railway (see sketch), which may be bought for thirtj^ dol- 
lars. The house proposed will cost about $700 — land, $30 
= 1730. If built, it may be finished in about three weeks. 
The building will rent immediately for 8 per cent on the 
whole cost. The saving to the Association in having their 
men accommodated so near the work is estimated at 10 cents 
per day for every day's work done. 

The advantage of having the building located on the piece 
of ground mentioned is, that this gore of land is a central 
point, sufficiently near to the Bunker Hill Ledge ; and would 
accommodate all the other Ledges in the vicinity, should the 
quarrying at that Ledge be discontinued after we have re- 
moved our stock. It would be well situated to command a 
high rent when we have done with it, or to sell for its full 
cost. If you should think it advisable to build, I should like 
the necessary instructions as soon as is convenient. 
Yours respectfully, 

Solomon Willard. 

x\ccompanying the letter was a sketch showing the 
topography of the place, and the sites for the proposed 
building. It is unnecessary to add that the desired 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 209 

permission was granted. By having the labor of pre- 
paring and dressing the stone performed at the Ledge, 
Mr. Willard was able to get the greatest amount and 
the best kind of work done at a very low rate. 

It is a matter of history that the undertaking of the 
Bunker Hill Monument led to the construction of the 
first railroad in the United States. Colonel Perkins, 
General Sullivan, Amos Lawrence, Solomon Willard, 
and Gridley Bryant were the leading petitioners for 
a charter incorporating them and their associates with 
authority to establish a railway from the quarries in 
Quincy to the waters of Massachusetts Bay. The 
charter was granted March 4, 1826, and the company 
was organized by the choice of Colonel Perkins as 
President. In the spring of 1827, the railway was so 
far completed by Mr. Bryant, that the company con- 
tracted with the Association to transport, during that 
year, 3,000 tons of stone to its own wharf, and thence 
by water to Devens' wharf in Charlestown. From the 
south-easterly corner of the lot on High Street to the 
foundation of the Monument granite tracks were 
laid, to facilitate the transportation over the steep 
ascent of the hill. 

Mr. Willard, with a single eye to the interests of the 
Association, by way of caution gave this important 
advice to the Building Committee, upon a proposition 
about to be made by the new corporation: — (_ \^ Xb ^ 

Deae, Sir, — It has been the wish of some of the members 
of the railway company for some time that we should relin- 
quish the Bunker Hill Quarry, and take the stock at Pine 
Hill (a quarry recently purchased by that company). 

27 



210 HISTORY OF THE 

The exchange would undoubtedly he advantageous to that 
company, as it Avould save the expense of some rods of rail- 
way, and would enable them more easily to keep others from 
using it who now have a right. 

Something of the kind has probably been suggested to you, 
or will be soon ; and I think it will be important to examine 
into the state of the Bunker Hill affairs, in order to decide 
whether any proposition which they shall make will be for 
our advantage. 

For my own part, I doubt whether they will make any 
offer which it would be for our interest or credit to accept. 
If they would agree to pay what has been expended, and to 
deliver all the stone for the monument on the ground where it 
is to be erected, for the sum of seventeen cents per cubic foot 
measured in the work, and within one year, I think there 
would be no objection as relates to economy. 

I will have bills collected this week to show the state of 
the expenditure, and shall wait for your direction. 
Yours respectfully, 

Solomon Willaed. 

Dr. WARKEisr. 

This advice was heeded. - On mutual consultation, 
the directors of the railway company acceded to the 
request of the Committee, and extended their railway 
to what was called the Bunker Hill Ledge, for which 
they received a complimentary acknowledgment in 
the report of the Directors made to the Association 
at its annual meeting in 1826. This report, carefully 
drawn up by Mr. Everett from the written statements 
and suggestions of the members of the Committee, gave 
a detailed account of their operations for the first year, 
showing that much had been done in the wa}^ of j^repa- 
ration, and at the Ledge, and that but about f 3,000 had 
been expended, the rest remaining upon interest under 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 211 

the careful charge of the Treasurer. It soon began to 
be demonstrated, that the railway was not so great a 
benefit as was anticipated. In Mr. Willard's opinion, 
it was not worth the waiting for. Besides the delay 
of over a year, thei'e was all the inconvenience at- 
tending the putting in operation a new method of 
transportation, the transhipment to the vessel, and 
then the reloading at the wharf in Charlestown for the 
teaming to the site, a distance from the Ledge of only 
twelve miles. Mr. Willard was much annoyed at the 
hindrance, and freely expressed his views to the Com- 
mittee; declaring that he could have better afforded to 
pay all the difference in the saving of cost of trans- 
portation rather than suffer these inconveniences. 
But the practical difficulties of the inception were 
afterwards overcome, and the railway very soon de- 
monstrated its great value to the public. 

Gi'idley Bryant, the constructor of this the first rail- 
road in America, deserves special mention in this con- 
nection. He was born in Scituate, Mass., August 26, 
1789. During the war of 1812, he was employed with 
Colonel Baldwin, under Governor Strong, nj^on the 
forts in Boston Harbor. He afterwards built the Mill- 
dam, now the extension of Beacon Street in Boston, 
and also the United States Bank building, under Mr. 
Willard, to which Mr. Parker's letter refers; and had 
become the leading and most enterprising mason and 
builder in Boston, when he undertook this novel 
enterprise. He not only built the railroad, but he 
himself made it of practical use by planniug the neces- 



212 HISTORY OF THE 

sary machinery and equipments. He invented the 
turn-table and the eight-wheel car, the same which 
are now in use without any improvement or alteration 
for the half-century since he originated them. He 
also invented the railroad switch and the portable 
derrick. He might have taken out letters-patent for 
all these inventions, and have grown rich. But he 
gave them to the ^^ublic use; and many years after- 
wards, when a patent right was claimed foi* the eight- 
wheel car by another, he took the pains to prove, 
without any remuneration, that it was his original 
invention, and had been freely made public. He died 
June 13, 1867, leaving a name, after a long and use- 
fnl life, associated with the commencement of the 
Bunker Hill Monument and the introduction of the 
new improved highway into the modern world. 

At the annual meeting in 1827, held on Monday, 
June 18, Mr. Webster signified his intention to with- 
draw from the presidency, and Colonel Perkins was 
unanimously elected in his place. In fact, he was by 
some suggested as the one to succeed Governor 
Brooks in March, 1824, being then First Vice-Presi- 
dent; but, as Mr. Webster was to be the orator and 
the organ of the Society on the great day of the half- 
century, the place was most appropriately conceded to 
him. On the retirement of Mr. Webstei', however, 
there was but one opinion, that Colonel Perkins should 
be the President. At the meeting of the Directors on 
the same day, Dr. Warren i-esigned the place of Chair- 
man of the Building Committee, and Colonel Perkins 
was unanimously elected to fill that vacancy also. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 213 

Mr. Willard, upon reading the public announcement 
of the election of Colonel Perkins as President of the 
Association, naturally concluded that it was because 
he was president of the railway company, and to mark 
the disapprobation of his own views so freely ex- 
pressed. Nothing was farther from their thought. 
But he at once sent in his resignation, and declared that 
he should remove from Quincy as soon as possible. 
Colonel Perkins and the Committee, as soon as they 
understood the matter, at once set him right, and in- 
duced him to withdraw his resignation. This he 
willingly did; making only an alteration in the terms 
of his contract, so that it should distinctly appear that 
onl}^ his bare expenses were to be paid to him, and 
that he was to give his services. 

In the getting out of the stone at the quarry, he fol- 
lowed what was true economy in the end, by prepar- 
ing and dressing the blocks of different sizes as they 
came out, if they were suitable for any of the upper 
courses, according to the plans already made, without 
reference to the continuous work in the erection. But 
the more the material was made ready for the upper 
jDart of the Monument, the less were the means at hand 
for immediate use in laying the courses in order. 
But this labor told at last. 

At the end of two years, he wrote to Mr. Law- 
rence : — 

Boston, Jan. 3, 1828. 
Dear Sir, — I was in Qiiincj yesterda}^ and directed 
those employed to hammer by the foot, according to your 
suggestion, excepting Mr. Badger and one to clear out the 



214 HISTORY OF THE 

shed. The blacksmiths were discharged some weeks ago, as 
you advised ; but a permanent one will now become neces- 
sary, and I wish for instruction to authorize me to employ one. 

The bills and roll for the last year are ready for deliver}'', 
and also copies of the vouchers for Holmes's bills. By ex- 
amining the items of these bills, and comparing them with 
the bills of other mechanics in your possession, you will be 
enabled to award to Mr. Holmes whatever credit is his due. 
I wish to be with you and General Dearborn when this takes 
place : the sooner you can make it convenient the better. 

During the two years in which I have had the direction of 
the executive part in building the monument, I have en- 
endeavored to study the interest of the Association as far as 
was in my power. 

I am not aware of having given any reasonable cause of 
offence to any. If any has been taken by a part of the Com- 
mittee, by which another part are placed in an unpleasant 
situation, it is easily set right ; as I am ready to resign my 
post any moment when the interests of the Association re- 
quire it. But, as I have made great sacrifices to get this 
noble work into execution, and as I am the greatest proprie- 
tor in it, I shall always feel a lively interest in its completion. 
Yours respectfully, 

Solomon Willaed. 

A. Lawkence, Esq. 

But Mr. Willard's apprehension was groundless. 
Every one conceded to him his wonderful skill, in- 
genuit}^, and fidelity. The only i-egret was, that the 
means could not be furnished to him as fast as were 
I'equired. The Directors were desirous that the 
Monument should attain as much altitude as possible, 
so as seasonably to impress the public mind. To that 
end they authorized the Committee to obtain by loan, 
on the hypothecation of the land, — reserving a square 
for the Monument 600 feet long by 400 feet wide, — 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 215 

as much money as they deemed advisable. The Com- 
mittee, upon this security offered, gave their own per- 
sonal notes to the Suffolk Bank for different sums, 
amounting to over $25,000. "With this, and all the 
resources that could be commanded, including the 
proceeds of the State grant for $7,0G0, in commuta- 
tion of the 110,000 in labor, Mr. Willard was only 
able to complete fourteen courses, raising the Monu- 
ment but thirty-seven feet four inches, when in Feb- 
ruary, 1829, the order was reluctantly given to 
suspend the work; and the architect, and all whom he 
employed, were necessarily discharged. He had ex- 
pended f 56,525.19, of which about $10,000 were neces- 
sarily spent in the machine for hoisting, in buildings 
at the Ledge, and in other permanent fixtures. A large 
part of this expenditure was in the hidden Avork of 
the foundation, containing about 1,500 tons of stone, 
another was in the stones prepared for the upper 
courses; so that the work was, in reality, more than 
half done, although it made but little comparative 
show for the money. 

During the intermission, he was authorized by the 
Directors to receive from the Treasurer all the sub- 
scription books and accounts, for the purpose of pre- 
paring for the press a list of members, and a statement 
of the estimates of the Monument, of the actual cost 
incurred, and the amount necessarj^ to finish it. This 
comjiilation he made gratuitously, and with great 
pains, in order to disabuse the public mind of the 
erroneous impressions received. He also made a plan 



U^-r 



216 HISTORY OF THE 

of the land of the Association, and laid it out in streets 
and building-lots, upon and near the reserved square. 

In the appeal made by the Committee to the public 
in 1829, they say in close, as the highest incentive and 
example they could offer: " Mr. Willard, the architect, 
has already freely given three years' service and one 
thousand dollars in money to the great Avork, and is 
willing to do as much more." But his noble gen- 
erosity was put to a still greater test. For nearly 
fifteen years had transpired after the date of that ap- 
peal, before the means were furnished him to com- 
plete the work. During all this time he was frequently 
called upon to render statements of what the work had 
cost so far, and estimates of the further cost of com- 
j^letion, and he gave them with the same care and 
readiness that one would who Avas paid a handsome 
salary. 

On the 17th June, 1834, under the auspices of the 
Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association, of 
which Joseph T. Buckingham was President, under 
a Building Committee appointed by him, the work 
on the Monument was resumed, and continued until 
N^ovember, 1835. During this time, eighteen more 
courses were laid, making the whole height eighty- 
five feet. At the final effort, when proposals were 
issued for bids to complete the Monument by contract, 
Mr. Willard was urged to put in his estimate. But he 
spurned the idea of engaging in that patriotic under- 
taking as a job. The contract was made with James 
S. Savage, a stone-mason, who had worked upon the 
Monument under Mr. AYillard from the beginning. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 217 

upon the express condition that it should be per- 
formed under his direction as the architect. 

Mr. Willard showed remarkable judgment in the 
choice of his men. He Avould employ none who were 
wanting in capacity, industry, honesty, or sobriety, 
and those whom he did employ he associated with on 
equal terms, alwaj^s glad to impart to them instruction 
or to show them any new invention or improvement. 
Mr. Savage is authority for the statement that the 
men employed to work upon the Monument were all 
what are called total-abstinence men, and that not a 
drop of intoxicating liquors was ever drunk, during 
the three periods of its construction, by those en- 
gaged therein. 

The Monument contains, by Mr. Willard's estimate, 
about the same quantity of granite as the Boston 
Custom House, which cost a million of dollars. The 
square on which it stands cost the Association nothing, 
as the proceeds of the land which was sold paid for 
the whole purchase. At the valuation of the sur- 
rounding land, the square is now worth more than a 
quarter of a million dollars. So that if the land were 
now to be purchased, and the Monument to be erected 
at a fail' relative proportion of the cost of the site of 
the Boston Post Office, and of the Post-Office building 
when completed, the amount called for would be an 
incredible sum. The actual sum paid in money is no 
criterion of the real value and whole cost of the Monu- 
ment. The saving by the architect, his own services 
vahied as such eminent services are worth, the time 

28 



218 HISTORY OF THE 

and labor employed by the different Committees, rep- 
resent the difference between the mere money paid 
and the sum it wonld now reqnire to repeat it. If the 
Monument had been bnilt by the N^ational or State 
Government, Mr. Willard would have been entitled 
to receive a salary equal to that paid to Colonel Bald- 
win for superintending the construction of the Dry 
Docks at Charlestown and Norfolk, which would have 
amounted to $33,000. This sum, added to the im- 
mense saving in the cost of material, — the difference 
between the actual cost and the market price de- 
manded for blocks of inferior magnitude, — would be 
about equal to its whole actual cost. 

Mr. Willard survived the completion of the Monu- 
ment eighteen j^ears, the same period that he was 
occupied at intervals in its construction. He died 
February 27, 1861, at the age of seventy-seven years 
and eight months, while the black portentous clouds 
were gathering in the southern sky of his beloved 
country, and were threatening its destruction. lie ex- 
pressed his profound sorrow at the result he foreboded, 
and well he might; for, if the country were really to 
be severed into sections, the Monument, the great woi-k 
of his hands, would be an object from which all his 
countrymen would wish with Webster that their eyes 
" might be averted fi'om it for ever." 

At the annual meeting of the Association in 1861, 
on the day of the raising of the National flag from 
the toj) of the Monument by Governor Andrew, the 
death of Mr. Willard was announced, and a Committee 
was appointed to prepare a suitable notice of him. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 219 

The duty was mainly inti-usted to the chau-man, Wil- 
liam W. Wheildoii, Esq. His associates were Amos 
A. Lawrence, Uriel Crocker, Nathaniel Cotton, and 
Frederick H. Stimpson. They communicated to the 
chairman such materials and information as they could 
gather, and all the papers of the Association were 
committed to his inspection. From these and from 
his own most diligent investigation, Mr. Wheildon 
produced, and the Association published in 1865, the 
" Memoir of Solomon Willard," which has already be- 
come a standard book of reference, giving a complete 
view of his life, character, and services, and in connec- 
tion a detailed account of the Monument and its con- 
struction. That valuable Avork contains copies of 
many original documents which would have been in- 
serted entire, or specially referred to in this volume, 
had not Mr. Wheildon incorporated them in his most 
interesting Memoir. 

In 1843 Mr. Willard published an elegant quarto 
volume, entitled " Plans and Sections of the Obelisk 
on Bunker's Hill, with the Details of the Experiments 
made in Quarrying the Granite," which he dedicated 
" To Architects and Engineers, and to the Working 
Associates." Evidently he did not mean to honor 
the contractors. This is a very instructive work, 
and an acceptable contribution to the public. Mr. 
AVheildon has quoted largely from the text. The 
plates, illustrating the work, give a complete view of 
the interior and exterior of the Monument, of the 
different courses of construction, and of the apparatus 



220 HISTORr OF THE 

employed for hauling and for hoisting the large blocks 
of stone. The hoisting apparatus, invented by Al- 
moran Holmes, is particularly described, and a tribute 
is paid to the inventor, who had the personal charge 
of hoisting the stone during the first effort, after 
which the inventor died, thongh his apparatus is still 
in use. "This apparatus," says Mr. "Willard, "is 
remarkable for its compass, and for the ease and 
grace with which it performs its work." He also 
demonstrates that the Monument is the cheapest 
structure ever erected in modern times for the money 
paid out, and that the Washington Monument, in 
Baltimore, and other jDublic structures, built at the 
market prices of the time, cost many times as much 
more. His book uot only vindicates the judgment 
and action of the Directors in the conduct of their 
great enterprise, but proves that the introduction of a 
building material not before in use, capable of being 
worked into any moulded or ornamental form required, 
and these experiments in the working of it, have led 
to a great improvement in architectural taste and 
mechanical execution, have created a new demand for 
an excellent building material for the exterior of 
structures, and have generally promoted the erection 
of buildings, both for public and private use, of a 
superior order, in which strength and beauty have 
been skilfully combined. 

In contemplating the life of Willard, one might 
select, as the most impressive passage, his first pres- 
ence in the solitary clefts of the rocks, viewing 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 221 

the quarry he had discovered, — within whose vast 
recesses lay buried the yet unwrought walls of ele- 
gant structures soon to become the ornaments of 
numerous cities, — and studying how best to take 
fresh from Nature's storehouse the massive material 
for the Monument, in sections of such vast magnitude 
that, in the opinion of all the contractors and builders 
of the time, their use in the construction would be im- 
practicable. It would be a scene not unworthy to be 
compared to that of Columbus in mid-ocean sailing 
upon an untried course, away from the known world, 
to find that unknown continent which his scientific 
faith assured him was gradually though slowly near- 
ing before him. Willard's frugality, strength of will, 
inflexible honesty, and above all his self-sacrifice and 
all-controlling desire and motive to do the greatest 
GOOD, present a character to be always the more re- 
vered, because in the experience of ordinary life it is 
rarely approached. 

As the unprejudiced historian in his imi^artial ac- 
count of the Battle of Bunker Hill will never award 
to one great name the undivided glory of that memor- 
able contest, but at least three leading characters will 
illustrate his page, — the beloved martyr, the intrepid 
defender of the redoubt, the gallant general of the field, 
— so whenever it shall be inquired of by the stranger, 
Who designed and planned this unparalleled Memo- 
rial? the answer from the written record and from tra- 
dition will be: The youthful genius of the sculptor 
Greenough, by his " adopted " model, and masterly 



222 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 

presentation of its superior claims to the column, 
established the form; the eminent science of Baldwin 
determined the precise proportion and the interior 
structure; the skill of Willard perfected the whole, 
and made it more majestic in its massive composition. 
Gi'eenough and Baldwin gave to it their thought and 
care but for a single season, and Parris merely offi- 
ciated in the grand ceremonial. Willard, the chosen 
architect and superintendent of the work, gave to it the 
strength and maturity of his manhood, so that the 
very soul and fibre of his existence were wrought into 
the mighty fabric from the foundation-stone to the 
airy apex. In view of such sublime devotion, it may 
be hoped by us that as the lover of art, when he visits 
Kome, and views each time with renewed admiration 
the dome of St. Peter's, — that greater than the Pan- 
theon, hung in the air, — recalls at once the exalted 
genius of Michael Axgelo, so, in future ages, will 
the visitor to Bunker Hill, as he gazes upon the im- 
perishable obelisk which crowns the metropolis, be 
reminded of the consummate skill and the unmatched, 
priceless service of Solomon Willard. 





|IATHANIEL "POPE FyJSSELL.7><^,i>^/^-7r 



Fl^OM /\_POf\TF\AIT BY STU/\RT. 



CHAPTER XI. 



Like one who draws a model of a house 

Beyond his power to build it; who, half through, 

Gives o'er, and leaves his part-created cost 

A naked subject to the weeping clouds, 

And waste for churlish winter's tyranny. 

WILLIAM SULLIYAN, whose name has so 
frequently appeared in this relation, was the 
son of the distinguished James Sullivan, who was 
Governor of Massachusetts in 1807 and 1808, and 
who died in office. He was a graduate of Harvard 
College of the class of 1792. Among his classmates 
were Levi Hedge and John Snelling Popkin, who 
came to be the venerable professors of the College. 
His younger brother, Richard SulHvan, married a 
daughter of the great merchant, Thomas Kussell, 
whose father James Russell owned a part of the 
battle-field of Bunker Hill. Both the brothers signed 
the original agi-eement of the Association, and Rich- 
ard was a member of the Committee of Corre- 
sj^ondcnce. 

"William Sullivan was one of the leading members 
of the Suffolk Bar, a compeer with Webster, the elder 
Dexter, and Jeremiah Mason. He took an interest in 
military aiffairs, and became Brigadier-General of the 
State Militia, which gave him a title as part of his 



224 HISTORY OF THE 

name. Harvard College conferred upon him the 
degree of Doctor of Laws in 1826. He was a grace- 
ful orator, and a man of genial wit, and shone alike in 
the social circle, in the select company at dinner, and 
in the forum. His opinion was authority. He was 
selected to write the first Address of the Association 
to the people of Massachusetts, transacted all its legal 
business, and drew up the votes that were passed of 
importance, so that the acts of the corporation and of 
the Directors, or Standing Committee in its behalf, 
should not be questioned for want of legal accuracy. 
The following letter to Dr. Warren evinces his care- 
fulness : — 

Sept. 14, 1824. 

Dear Sir, — I have considered the important suggestions 
which jour letter contained. It has raised more thoughts 
than I can put on paper, — or than 3'ou have time to read. 

The intended publication I shall be happy to push forward 
as soon as I have the materials (if the drafting falls on me) ; 
and I include therein your report to the W. B. S., and the 
statement of the B. H. M. A. which you read, and the re- 
cords, — none of which I have. 

I have something to say about subscriptions and public 
meeting. If the latter is undertaken, I fear it will not be 
done with the assistance you contemplate, and I think from 
the labor of acquiring the facts — and preparing comments and 
motives, which must be encountered by any one who is desir- 
ous of having an effective meeting — without avoiding a mis- 
carriage. 

Your mind is so full and vehement on this subject, that 
you can pour forth at will. I must consider beforehand, 
and I am always compelled to aid myself with the previous 
conviction, as to the things to be spoken of, to Avhom they 
are to be spoken, and by whom. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 225 

If the proposed publication should sufficiently ripen the 
public mind, a meeting might follow. 

Yours trul}^ W. S. 

On November 4, 1826, after sending off the sub- 
scription books to the Selectmen of the different 
towns, he received a vote of thanks of the Standing 
Committee " on behalf of the Directors for the highly 
important services rendered by him in promoting the 
objects of the institution." 

He was particularly set against that style of ex- 
aggeration and overdoing, into which the most intelli- 
gent are apt to fall, and which is supposed to be the 
peculiar characteristic of our people. William Tudor, 
after he went to South America, was elected a Di- 
rector to fill a vacancy, " in acknowledgment of his 
services in promoting the objects of the Association; " 
and he was desirous that Simon Bolivar, President of 
the Republic of Colombia, then in the zenith of his 
fame, should be elected an Honorary Member, and 
that a formal letter should be sent to him. The vote 
was passed, and a letter was prepared in a flattering 
style, which was sent to each member of the Standing 
Committee to examine, and to consent to its being 
published. This is the criticism of General Sullivan 
thereon : — 

Sept. 26, 1826. 
Dr. AVarren. 

Dear Sir, — I presume you would not have sent the 
papers, which I received last evening, for an opinion, unless 
you intended that I should give one. 

1. As to 2)riyitlnfj^ per se, it would have a bad effect if 
Bolivar should happen to read the letter to him in a news- 

29 



226 HISTORY OF THE 

paper, before it reaches him in manuscript: except this I see 
neither good nor evil in printing. 

2. As to the proposed letter, throughout, on one subject, 
self-adulation, I see no objection to the declaration, however 
and wherever made, that we are the most virtuous, the 
wisest, the bravest, the greatest, and the most glorious nation 
that exists, or ever did, or ever will, on which subject I beg 
leave to refer you to Mr. Politica's book. 

3. As to the first martyrs^ as soon as Lexington sees this, 
it will call another town meeting, and make a second edition 
of its manifesto. 

4. As to saying such sort of truths, at this day, as are ex- 
pressed in the first part of the second page, concerning Eng- 
land and Englishmen, I see not that it can be profitable. 
Much less is read in England of things done in the United 
States than is commonly supposed to be. In the present and 
probable relations between the two countries, I cannot per- 
ceive the use of making that which is read sure to displease. 

5. As to Bolivar, a highly respectable American institu- 
tion is speaking to a distinguished foreigner, as one of its 
adopted members, — a man who holds the most responsible 
relations to his own, and to other countries, and among them 
to England. Whether he will be obliged or otherwise, by 
expressions like those used in relation to England and Eng- 
lish arms, in a matter which connects him with the institu- 
tion using these expressions, may deserve further considera- 
tion. 

Lastly, I do not object to the expressions of adulation 
which are offered to Bolivar, — if he can swallow them, he 
must be as vain as he is brave, — nor to the opinions on South 
American independence, and the connection of this one of 
the " two Americas " with that on this subject. I am not 
in the fashion in this matter; and my opinion, consequently, 
is not worth expressing. 

Your respectful friend, 

W. Sullivan. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 227 

Having a large professional practice, and many 
duties and cares constantly calling upon his personal 
attention, he was subject to many vexatious impor- 
tunities and complaints which try the spirit. It was 
after some such scene, in which the good Doctor was 
made perhaps the unwilling spokesman, that the fol- 
lowing letter was written, announcing a hasty con- 
clusion: — 

Nov. 4, 1824. 

My deae, Sm, — I am extremely sorry, for so much of 
our hasty conversation this morning as fell to ray share : you 
came upon me at a moment when my patience and philosophy 
were exhausted, and I am not accustomed to be interrogated 
as to what I have done or omitted, quite so suddenly. The 
B. H. M. A. will go on very well without me ; and as to the 
public, any man is a fool who thinks the public cannot do 
without him, and much more of a fool if he spends his life 
in thankless service for the public. I have spent as much of 
mine, in this way, as I mean to. 

I should be obliged if one of your Committee could be 
delegated to audit my liabilities for the Association ; and by 
having an order passed that the Treasurer shall pay what may 
be found to be due. 

I shall attend to the distribution of the addresses, and 
this will close my agency. Mr. Gould is desirous of having 
a book prepared for the boys of his school, who intend to be 
made members. 

Respectfully, 

Wm. Sullivan. 

Dr. Warren. 

Most persons who engage in great undertakings 
for the public advantage, in which the. public senti- 
ment goes but half-way with them, or not so f\ir, have 
at times similar periods of discouragement, when they 



228 HISTORY OF THE 

are inclined to give up their plans, and to sink to the 
level of those who care for nothing which does not 
materially concern their own narrow circle. It is to 
the credit of hnman natnre that " patience and philos- 
ophy" will come to the aid of generous and noble 
spirits, and prompt them to persevere in the good 
cause they have espoused. So it was with General 
Sullivan, w^ho retracted his sudden purpose, and con- 
tinued his labors Avith such energy and will that no 
one w^ould suppose he had ever thought of faltering. 
He favored the adoption of the grandest plan of the 
Monument that could be suggested, though not ex- 
pecting to see it finished. He died September 3, 1839, 
when the Monument was only eighty-five feet high. 

The Standing Committee made every effort to in- 
crease the subscriptions. They requested the Ward 
Committees of Boston and the Selectmen of the 
towns to make a new effort, and to glean a second 
harvest. But the Ward Committees replied some- 
what reproachfully, as if they were thought to have 
been unfaithful, that they had been over the ground 
thoroughly, had asked every man who would be likely 
to contribute, and that it would be almost an insult 
to ask again. 

As an illustration of the prompt manner in which 
the canvassing was done, the letter of Lemuel Shaw, 
afterwards Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial 
Court, will suffice to show : — 

Nath. p. Eussell, Esq., Treasurer Bunler Hill Monument Association. 

Dear Sir, — I herewith return you the Subscription Book 
for Ward No. 11. You will perceive, that the whole amount 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 229 

of subscriptions is -$906. A list of unpaid subscriptions, 
whicli at your request I have handed to Mr. Kuhn, is $116. 
The amount collected and received by the Committee, -$790, 
is herewith handed to you, including a small bill of |3, being 
the expense of printing notices. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, in behalf of the Committee for 
Ward 11, your obedient servant, Lemuel Shaw. 

Boston, March 14, 1825. 

Thomas Power, who had served on the Ward Com- 
mittee with great alacrity, made this reply in relation 
to a second attempt: — 

Boston, Aug. 13, 1825. 

SiE, — A communication, under your hand, in behalf of the 
Directors of the Bunker Hill Monument Association, directed 
to Ezra Dyer, Esq., and the subscriber, was duly received. 
When the Committee of Ward 5 accepted their commission, 
they divided the Ward into four Districts ; and I can truly say 
that the District in which I labored was thoroughly searched 
for subscribers. We then had a Ward List, but it was of 
no use to us. We went to every house ; and I regret to say 
there were many instances of refusal to subscribe, and, among 
them, some whose means promised better things. There are 
on the Ward List names of persons who have removed years 
since from the Ward. Because therefore the names on the 
Ward List are not found on the subscription book, it does 
not warrant the inference that they were in the Ward, or, if 
in the Ward, that they were not called upon to subscribe. 

I have consulted Mr. Dyer on this subject, and lie is of 
opinion with me that it is expedient to decline acting further 
in this business as contemplated by the Directors. 

We feel sensible of the honor intended and the confidence 
reposed in us. Could we entertain a belief that we could aid 
the efforts of the Association usefully, we should forthwith 
proceed. 

With great respect, yonx obedient servant, 

Thomas Power. 

Edward Everett. 



230 HISTORY OF THE 

Boston, as she then was, had contributed more than 
half of the whole amount : as now enUirged, the 
donations of her present territory were about three- 
fourths. The response from the towns to a second 
call — Boston was then the only city in the State — was 
not more satisfactory. Those w^ho in the first in- 
stance declined to subscribe did not, on a renewed 
appeal, change their opinion. The following letter 
from "Worcester illustrates the state of feeling that 
existed in what was then called the heart of the Com- 
monwealth : — 

WoKCESTER, May 23, 1825. 

Deae, Sie, — I transmit by Colonel John W. Lincoln 
one hundred and seventy dollars and seventy-five cents, the 
amount subscribed in this town, in aid of the Bunker Hill 
Monument Association. It is a source of regret with me 
that the citizens of this town have not been more liberal and 
patriotic on this occasion. The reason in part is to be attrib- 
uted to the influence of our clergy (with the exception of 
Dr. Bancroft), whose opposition was proclaimed from the 
sacred desk ; which undoubtedly operated to cool the ardor 
and prejudice the minds of their respective hearers ; and my 
immediate predecessor, who had the charge of the subscrip- 
tion book, was not sufficiently alive to the subject in season to 
accomplish the object in view. Having previously had a letter 
or circular from Mr. Everett, requesting my aid and influence 
in procuring subscriptions, I volunteered my services to the 
Chairman of the Board of Selectmen last autumn, to carry 
round the subscription book to the inhabitants of the centre 
district, as I was then about taking a census of the minors in 
said district for school purposes, and could have attended to 
both objects with but little additional trouble, but my offer 
was not accepted in season. 1 have since liad to travel the 
ground over to collect the money which he had got subscribed, 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 231 

and the subject had become so antiquated when the book 
came into my hands that I had but poor success in obtaining 
new subscriptions. These circumstances must be my apology 
for the leanness of the subscription, as well as for not return- 
ing the book more seasonably. 

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Otis Cohbett. 

N. P. Russell, Esq. 

If in Ma}^, 1825, " the siibject had become anti- 
quated," the prospect for the Association was not 
promising. But we can scarcely appreciate the situa- 
tion of Massachusetts and New England in the latter 
part of the first half-century of the Independence, and 
just after the close of the second war. Although 
there was everywhere great contentment, and the 
appearance of thrift, it was owing to the industry and 
extreme fi'ugality of the people. A silver dollar then 
was more highly valued in the country towns than ten 
dollars in currency are now, and it actually went fur- 
ther. A majority of the families raised their own prod- 
uce, spun and wove their own garments, and carpets, if 
they had any, and realized, from the sale of the sur- 
plus products of the farm or of their labor, only from 
fifty to one or two hundred dollars a year in cash. 
Daughters were as useful then as sons in the house- 
hold economy, and became the better wives from their 
bringing up. The householder w^ould be years in 
building and finishing his house; first putting up the 
frame, when his neighbors would render their gratui- 
tous assistance at " the raising," then making a small 
portion habitable to " get in," and, year by year, ob- 



232 HISTORY OF THE 

taining the material, and working at intervals of 
leisure upon the inside and out, until the whole was 
completed, and became an ornament to the village. 
There were but few banks in the country to stimulate 
business. Manufactories were just springing up. Com- 
merce was the great source of rapid wealth in Boston; 
and boys in the country, not wanted at home, and not 
finding situations in the city, would either go to sea, 
or seek their home and fortune in the new States of 
the West. The average salary of the ministers in the 
State out of Boston would hardly reach four hundred 
dollars, a scanty sum with which to rear a family, and 
yet the parishes thought it was a great deal of money. 
It is no wonder that there should be some clergymen, 
who, overlooking the importance of cultivating the 
patriotic sentiment of a love of countrj", and its liber- 
ties as the guaranty of religious freedom and growth, 
but contemplating only the necessities of Christian 
beneficence with which they had to deal, should 
even preach against giving to the Monument, in 
the fear that their special objects of charity might 
suffer. 

Considering this state of things, it is not only 
creditable to that period, but indeed a marvel, that 
so large a sum as nearly $60,000 — equal to half a 
million at least of our money — should be so spon- 
taneously given. JSTo such sum had ever before been 
raised in IN^ew England for any single object of the 
kind, and this was owing to the intense patriotic ex- 
citement produced by the eloquent and felicitous ap- 
peals of the Association. It was all the money that 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 233 

Mr. Everett's circular asked: $37,000 was his esti- 
mate for a column 220 feet high, and all the land was 
actually purchased for a little over f 23,000. Besides, 
the Legislature had granted $10,000 in labor, which 
was then supposed could be conveniently employed in 
its construction. Therefore it was that Mr. Everett, 
who had accurately gauged the probable result of 
their appeal, apprehending that nothing more would 
be likely to be very soon afterwards obtained, declared 
that the only safe thing to do was to erect a column 
according to his estimate, and to preserve all the land. 
He actually selected a neat and classical design, which 
he proposed for their adoption. 

In view of the emergency from the deliberate change 
of plan, the lottery was resorted to as the only exj^edient. 
It had been the custom to grant the right to establish 
lotteries for a specified term in aid of turnpikes, bridges, 
acadeaiies, and other public institutions. Harvard Col- 
lege had, only a few years before, received a grant of 
that sort for one of its Halls. General Dearborn, as 
one of a State Comuiissiou, had reported in favor of 
granting a lottery in aid of internal improvement. 
The Coi'poration of the City of Washington petitioned 
the Legislature, in 1822, for leave to sell in the State 
tickets of lotteries granted b}^ Congi'ess in aid of 
cei'tain public improvements in the national capital. 
George Blake strongly recommended the course, being 
advised by Phinehas Blair, and also by J. K. Casey 
of Baltimore, who advertised a scheme in the follow- 



ing fashion : — 



30 



234 HISTORY OF THE 

Caseifs Self-operating Lottery. 

This lottery is patented by the United States, and has re- 
ceived the full and unqualified approbation of the most en- 
lightened philanthropists of the nation. The great object of it 
is to exclude from all participation in adventure the poorer 
classes of society, and to put down the inducements to j^rivafe 
gambling, where the loss of fortune may truly be said to be 
the least evil incident to this growing vice of our country. 

Mr. Casey was very desirous of conducting the 
enterprise, the success of which he deemed certain, 
as tickets could readily be sold in the principal cities 
of the United States. A vote of the Directors was 
obtained to petition the Legislature, and the Senators 
and Representatives elect were sounded in advance. 
But the public sentiment in Massachusetts had been 
strongly setting against lotteries as a vicious sj^stem 
of raising money. If it was right and expedient to 
23rohibit them by law, the State ought not to license 
them by special enactment for any purpose, however 
laudable. The Directors became sensible of this feel- 
ing in season, and voted to petition for the direct aid 
of the State, instead of a lottery. This petition failed 
to attract any support. 

In February, 1829, another ajDpeal to the people of 
the State was determined upon. Instead of address- 
ing official characters, the Directors themselves desig- 
nated prominent gentlemen in the difierent towns and 
in the wai'ds of- the city, who were requested to cir- 
culate the address prepai-ed by General Dearborn, 
and to solicit subscriptions, — one half to be paid in 
the following month, and one half in a year. 



BUJ^KER HILL MOXUMEXT ASSOCI.ITIOX. 235 

The following is an extract from his address: — 

All civilized nations of ancient and modern times have 
erected statues, mausoleums, or other monuments, to com- 
memorate the deeds of their illustrious sons, or perpetuate 
the recollection of memorable national events. This practice 
has its source not only in proper feelings of gratitude for 
patriotic services, but also in the universal desire of all great 
men to live after death in the memory of posterity. This 
desire stimulates them to illustrious actions, that they may 
merit the renown which has uniformly been decreed as the 
reward of such actions. . . . 

It is not exaggeration to say that the whole character of 
the subsequent war was changed by the Battle of Bunker 
Hill, that that battle gave the character to the war, and that 
on that Hill our Revolution was really achieved. How in- 
teresting, then, not only to New England men, but to every 
American, must this spot ever remain ! Our government is 
the only free government founded on the rights of the people 
and the sovereignty of the law which can be considered as 
firmly established on earth. If any spot in this country should 
be consecrated as holy ground on which to erect the temple 
of liberty, that spot surely is Bunkek Hill. 

Animated with these feelings and actuated by these princi- 
ples, the Bunker Hill Monument Association have engaged 
in the work of erecting a monument worthy of the spot, 
worthy of those illustrious sons, and those memorable deeds 
of the Revolution, which it is designed to commemorate, and 
also worthy of ever standing the memorial of the establish- 
ment of those great principles of liberty which resulted from 
the Revolution. The monument will be the highest of the kind 
in the worlds and only below the height of the Egyptian 
Pyramids. It will form, when completed, an obelisk thirty 
feet square at the base, and fifteen at the top. It will con- 
sist of eighty courses of our Quincy granite, each course two 
feet eight inches in thickness. The whole height, when laid, 
will be two hundred and twenty feet. No traveller will then 
inquire for the battle-ground. The monument will endure 



236 HISTORY OF THE 

until the foundations of the earth itself are shaken. Our 
descendants in the most remote ages will have this perpetual 
memorial before them of the virtues and valor of their ances- 
tors, and this ever-enduring memento of the price and the 
value of liberty. 

The whole quantity of stone necessary to complete this 
work is six thousand seven hundred tons. Of this quantity 
twenty-eight hundred tons are already laid in the first four- 
teen courses, and five hundred tons more are already dressed 
on the Hill, being the quantit}- required for five courses, and, 
with that already laid, making more than half the quantity 
necessary for the whole structure. Twelve hundred tons are 
already split out in blocks to dimensions for the various parts 
of the monument at Quincy, and have been placed in situa- 
tions where they can be best hammered. The remainder, 
twenty-two hundred tons, can be split from the quarry in 
ninety days, for three thousand dolkirs : considerable prog- 
ress has been made in preparing the ledge for that purpose. 
The Committee continued the work as long as they con- 
sidered themselves justified, and only ceased at the Hill on 
the first of September, and on the seventeenth of January at 
the quarry. 

To accomplish this great work, it must be evident, has re- 
quired a sum of money far beyond the subscription, and to 
comj)lete it a still larger sum is required. The machinery at 
the quarry, at the wharf, and on the Hill, has cost ten thou- 
sand dollars, — but half the sum, as the Committee have learnt, 
paid for the staging used in erecting the Washington Monu- 
ment at Baltimore. To extinguish all the titles to the battle- 
ground has cost twenty-four thousand dollars. In proceeding 
as far as they have done, the Society have expended all their 
funds, and twenty tliousand dollars in addition. Thirty thou- 
sand dollars more are required to complete the work. With 
fifty thousand dollars, the work can be completed within the 
year, and the whole battle-field reserved. This most inter- 
esting spot is now wholly in the control of the Society, and 
from the Monument the whole field of battle is now open to 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 237 

the eye ; but, unless fifty thousand dollars can be raised, a 
considerable part of it must be sold, and the opportunity lost 
for ever of reserving it from being covered with buildings 
which would disfigure it. Under these circumstances, the 
Society appeal with confidence to all Americans, and espe- 
ciall}^ to every son of New England, to enable them at once 
to finish the great work. 

Joseph E. Sprague of Salem was Chairman of the 
Committee, and attended to the printing and dis- 
tribnting of the addresses: there was no response. 

At the annnal meeting this June, Colonel Perkins 
declined re-election as President, after two years' 
arduous service, and Judges Story and Prescott as 
Vice-Presidents. Mr. Everett, who found it impi-ac- 
ticable for him any longer to perform the various 
duties of Secretary, which had occupied so much of his 
time, was transferred to the easier place of Director. 
Levi Lincoln, who was then Governor of the State, 
was elected President, Dr. Warren and Amos Law- 
rence Vice-Presidents, and General Dearborn Secre- 
tary. Other changes were made in the Board. It 
does not appear by the record that Governor Lincoln 
either accepted or declined the Presidency; but it is 
presumed that he gave his consent to the use of his 
name, with the understanding that he should take no 
active part. 

The Directors elected on the Building Committee: 
Ebenezer Breed and David Devens of Charlestown, 
Amos Lawrence and Charles Wells of Boston, and 
H. A. S. Dearborn of Roxbury. Charlestown and 
Koxbury are now parts of the metropolis of Boston. 



238 HISTORY OF THE 

This was the j^ear m which the ladies made their 
first effort. A Comaiittee was formed among them, 
who undei'took to raise the desired means by a gen- 
eral subscription in small sums by the women of the 
State and the little children. Sums as small as twenty- 
five cents were solicited. William Appleton encour- 
aged the movement by sending them $500 to pay any 
incidental expenses; and Amos Lawrence sent anony- 
mously |100. 

The Directors gratefully acknowledged their co- 
operation, and by vote pledged all the money that 
might be received from this efi^'ort to the raising of 
the Monument, and to no other purpose. The im- 
mediate return in money was small, but an efi'ort was 
started which in the end led to success. The amount 
of the ladies' donation, $2,225.38, was deposited as a 
separate fund with the Massachusetts Hospital Life 
Insurance Company, an institution under whose pru- 
dent management money accumulates slowly at first, 
but always surely, and after a while at a rapid rate. 

At the meeting in 1830, Governor Lincoln declin- 
ing. Judge William Prescott was chosen President; 
and his son, Edward G. Prescott, Secretary; and 
General Sullivan second Vice-President, in place of 
Amos Lawrence declined. The Association instructed 
the Directors to petition the Legislature for a grant 
from the funds about to be received under an appro- 
priation made by Congress for the payment of the 
claim for the services of the State Militia, paid for by 
the State during the late war; and to take such other 
measures as might be deemed most expedient; "pro- 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 239 

vicled, that the land be not sold unless it shall be 
found absolutely necessary." The Directors appointed, 
August 4, a strong Committee — Dr. Warren, Mr. 
Everett, General Sullivan, Amos Lawrence, and Col- 
onel Baldwin — to consider and report the measures 
proper to be adopted to carry out their instructions. On 
the 13th of the same month, they rejiorted a series of 
Resolutions and an address, written by Mr. Everett, 
to be sent out to the public. Colonel Baldwin took a 
prominent j^art at this adjourned meeting. The fol- 
lowing Resolutions were unanimously adopted : — 

1. Resolved^ That a respectful address be presented to the 
legislature of this Commonwealth, at their next session, setting 
forth the expediency of giving the aid of the Government to 
a work in which the public is so deeply interested. 

2. Resolved, That an effort be made to obtain further con- 
tributions from individuals, when 'it has been ascertained that 
the Government of this Commonwealth can extend such as- 
sistance to the Association as will encourage the hope of a 
speedy completion of the work. 

3. Resolved, That, inasmuch as it is certain that a fair 
price cannot be obtained for the Bunker Hill field, it would 
be inexpedient to attempt a sale of any part of it at this time. 

4. Resolved, That we consider the field of Bunker Hill as 
a sacred legacy of our forefathers, defended by their arms 
and watered by their blood, and that it ought to be kept open 
to the view of remote posterity; and that it would be a per- 
manent disgrace to the present generation of Americans to 
employ the same for house-lots or other ordinary uses. 

5. Resolved, That means should be adopted to represent to 
the Government of this Commonwealth the importance of 
securing this land in the hands of the public. 

6. Resolved, That a committee of eight, with power to fill 
vacancies, be chosen to prepare a respectful address to the 
legislature, for the purpose recommended by the Association ; 



240 HISTORY OF THE 

and to support the application made in the address in a 
proper manner. 

7. Resolved^ That an address be submitted to the citizens 
of this Commonwealth, on the part of the Directors, explana- 
tory of the views of this Association ; of its operations and 
actual condition ; and that the same be forthwith distrib- 
uted to every town in the Commonwealth : and the Com- 
mittee accordingly beg leave to present herewith the draft of 
such an address. 

The draft of Mr. Everett's address was also unani- 
mously adopted, and ordered to be printed and distrib- 
uted. After giving an acconnt of the efforts of the 
Association and of the progress of the vv^ork, it de- 
monstrated the great propriety of appropriating a por- 
tion of the "Massachnsetts claim," when received, to 
this permanent memorial of the Kevolntionary strng- 
gle, and then it proceeded as follows to show the 
propriety of the State joining with the public in com- 
pleting a work of this extraordinary character, which 
had been so well begun : — 

In the present condition of the affairs of the Association, 
the Directors think they may witli propriety say that some- 
thing is imperiously required to be done. Private subscrip- 
tions have been nearly suspended, partly no doubt from the 
late pressure of the times ; but also from a sentiment of gen- 
eral prevalence that the work itself is of a j^ublic nature, in 
which the Commonwealth and individuals ought to go hand 
in hand. The funds of the Association are exhausted ; and 
the sale of the land would not, it is believed, more than en- 
able the Directors to pay the debt for which it is pledged. 
Meantime the spot remains the object of universal attraction. 
Every motive which ever existed for undertaking the work 
still operates in all its force. Every citizen of the United 
States, and every stranger from Europe, that visits this 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 241 

neighborhood, repairs to these heights, as the first object of in- 
terest. If the Monument is to remain permanently in its 
present condition, it will be a source only of discredit. The 
sum necessary to complete it, and render it the loftiest work 
of the kind in the world, and in beauty unsurpassed by any 
other, if assessed as a tax on the good people of the Com- 
monwealth, would amouut to less than nine cents each. The 
Directors cannot doubt that the people, if called upon, would 
cheerfully tax themselves to this amount for this object. But 
Avhen it is considered that no tax will be required, and that 
the sum needed can be set apart from the ample funds about 
to flow into the treasury of the State, they are encouraged 
to hope that their petition will meet with general favor. 

In possessing within its limits the heights of Charlestown, 
the State of Massachusetts may boast of a spot whose inter- 
est is unequalled in the History of Liberty. It is conceded 
that the American Revolution is the great era in the annals 
of man. It was the revolution of mankind, in which the 
moral necessity of free institutions for civilized societies of 
men was vindicated and established. What impartial man can 
doubt that the fate of this great revolution was decided be- 
tween the 19th day of April and the 17th of June, 1775 ? Who 
can doubt that if on those days our fathers had quailed 
before the hostile armies, and Hancock and Adams had been 
seized and sent to England for trial, and with Warren, Pres- 
cott, and Putnam, and their compatriots, had expiated their 
treason on Tower Hill, the American Revolution would have 
been effectually checked ; and for what period, who can tell ? 

It has seemed proper, therefore, that the field where this 
great battle of freedom and independence was fought should 
be separated from every secular use, — a field of blood, 
sacred and precious, — restored to the condition in Avhich it 
was trod by our fathers on the morning of the eventful day, 
and adorned by a majestic monumental structure, which shall 
mark it to the end of time. We are told by travellers that, 
in the expanse of the Egyptian desert, a single obelisk, less 
lofty and massive by far than that which is commenced on 

31 



242 HISTORY OF THE 

Bunker Hill, remains to mark the spot of the great citj'^ of 
the Sun, the residence of the patriarch Joseph, three thou- 
sand five hundred years ago. In completing the Monument 
on the heights at Charlestown, we shall point out to the 
gratitude and admiration of our posterity, after an equal lapse 
of ages, the scene of the first tremendous struggles for Ameri- 
can Independence. 

The Committee of eight appointed to prepare and 
prosecute the petition to the Legislature were General 
Sullivan, John Harris, General Dearborn, Thomas 
J. Goodwin, Charles Wells, Alexander H. Everett, 
Ebenezer Breed, and Oliver Ilolden. The election 
of the Building Committee was, on motion of Colonel 
Baldwin, postponed. 

The Association always prefaced its petitions to the 
Legislature by an eloquent appeal to the public, and 
endeavored to produce in the minds of the people a 
strong conviction that the aid sought of their Repre- 
sentatives ought to be granted. All along in the his- 
tory of this enterprise the Association sought to reach 
the popular heart, to rouse the patriotism of the people, 
and thus create a strong and enthusiastic public senti- 
ment. 

The annual meeting on Friday, June 17, 1831, was 
attended by a small surprise party, which came near 
taking possession of the Government of the Asso- 
ciation. The President, Yice-Presidents, Secretary, 
Treasurer, and about half a dozen of the old friends 
of the enterprise, were there. The faces of the rest 
were not familiar. The records and Treasurer's 
report were read. General Dearborn reported that 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 243 

the petition for a grant from the State was referred 
to the next Legislature, and that measures were being 
pushed by the Committee for raising money by gen- 
eral subscription, but their operation had been delayed 
by the sickness of Amos Lawrence, one of their Com- 
mittee. General Sullivan reported that copies of a 
pamphlet showing the condition of the Association 
had been sent to all the State, City, and Town officers, 
and to prominent individuals. On motion of Mr. 
Clough, the ballot for officers was taken. J^ew per- 
sons were chosen in place of the President, Vice- 
Presidents, and Secretary, and eleven new Directors 
were elected, by an average vote of thirty to ten for 
the old officers displaced. The arduous office of 
Treasurer no one coveted, and Mr. Russell was kept 
in his place as if to mark the continued identity of the 
Association. Leverett Saltonstall and Benjamin V. 
French were the only Directors re-elected, and there 
were twelve vacancies. 

The announcement was received with surprise 
mixed with indignation, nor was the feeling abated 
when it appeared that the attempted change of the 
government was made in the interest of the new 
political party, known as the Anti-Masonic. It would 
not have met with the least success, if even an half 
hour's notice of the attempt had been given to the 
public ; but the leaders of the new organization, claim- 
ing to be founded upon the sole idea of political 
opposition to secret societies, made this unexpected 
demonstration by secret combination, and the con- 
cealment of their votes before voting. 



244 HISTORY OF THE 

At the adjourned meeting on July 25, Dr. Abner 
Phelps, the new President, was in the chair, and Wil- 
liam Marston, the new Secretary, apj^eared. So many 
of the Association were pi'esent that the room could 
not accommodate them, and another adjournment was 
voted to the following Monday, August 1, to Faneuil 
Hall, if it could be had ; and, if not, the Secretary was 
instructed to obtain the most convenient place possi- 
ble, and to give three days' notice thereof in four of 
the Boston newspapers. ^Nathaniel P. Russell, the 
Treasurer, Benjamin Russell, and William Sullivan 
were appointed a Committee to prepare an alphabeti- 
cal list of voters, to appoint a sufficient number to 
check the names of those that voted, to ascertain 
if votes by proxy can be legally received, and to 
report any other arrangements they might think 
proper. 

In the afternoon of August 1, Faneuil Hall 
opened its doors to the Bunker Hill Monument As- 
sociation, assembled in large numbers; and there was 
every apjDearance of an enthusiastic meeting in favor 
of the former government. The names of those ap- 
pointed to check the voting lists were announced, 
one for each of the twelve wards of Boston, and one 
for each of the towns of Charlestown, Cambridge, and 
Roxbury, — these three to act for all other towns. 
The Committee had consulted with Hon. Charles 
Jackson, and they were of the opinion " that it will 
not be expedient to receive proxy votes until the As- 
sociation shall authorize the same by a by-law, which 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 245 

they have authority to pass at any meeting." They 
also reported six new by-laws: — 

1. That the officers should be elected at the animal meet- 
ing, or at an adjournment. 

2. That no person shall vote unless he has contributed five 
dollars to the funds. 

3. That the Directors shall consist of thirty persons, of 
whom those elected at the former meeting shall be a part. 

4. That no part of the land belonging to the Association 
shall be sold, nor any stones laid on the Monument, nor any 
contracts be made for any operation thereon, unless the As- 
sociation be first convened by advertisement, — giving at 
least twenty days' notice thereof in two or more newspapers 
printed in Boston, — and a vote be passed authorizing the 
measure proposed. 

5. Tliat no act of the Directors shall be valid unless a 
majority of the whole Board concur therein. 

6. That all by-laws inconsistent with those above men- 
tioned be, and the same are, hereby annulled. 

These were all adopted iiiianimoiisly without amend- 
ment. A Committee of eight were appointed to re- 
ceive, sort, and count the votes for eighteen Directors, 
and it was voted to close the polls at six o'clock. Al- 
though there was no ticket displayed in opposition to 
that prepared by the friends of the old government, 
who were the founders and laborious friends of the 
Association, five hundred and eighty-two members re- 
mained to have their names checked on the list, and 
to deposit their ballots. A large number of other 
persons, satisfied there was not the least opposition to 
the reinstating of the old government in force, with- 
drew befoi'e voting. The very appearance of the 
meeting shewed beforehand what the result would be. 



246 HISTORY OF THE 

Judge Prescott, Dr. Warren, and General Sullivan, 
the former President and Vice-Presidents, and fifteen 
others of the old Board, including Amos Lawrence, 
Edward Everett, and Francis J. Oliver, were unani- 
mously elected. Eight of the old Directors were 
not chosen, thei'e being no room on the Board for 
any more, without making a greater addition to its 
number. 

Four attempts were made without success to pro- 
cure a meeting of the Directors, at which business 
could be transacted under the new by-law. General 
Sullivan then prepared a form of notice, which was 
adopted and sent to each Director, stating that his 
presence was particularly requested at the time named 
for the next meeting. On September 12, under this 
notice, a legal meeting was obtained, at which a Com- 
mittee was appointed to consider and report what 
should be done. Two meetings were called to hear 
their report, but, for want of a quorum being present, 
the report was not made. Thus another year passed, 
and nothing was done. 

The next annual meeting was held on Monday, 
June 18, 1832, in Fanenil Hall. The officers newly 
elected by the Anti-Masonic party had publicly with- 
drawn their names as candidates for re-election; but, 
notwithstanding, four hundred and fifty-five members 
appeared to cast their votes. Judge Prescott Avas re- 
elected President; Dr. Warren and General Sullivan, 
Vice-Presidents; and Edward G. Prescott, Secretary. 
•A Board of Directors was chosen in harmony with 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 247 

them, and the restrictive by-laws passed the year 
before were rescinded. Thus ended, in complete 
discomfitnre, the first and only attempt ever made to 
identify the Association with a political party. 

The ground of this movement of the leaders of the 
Anti-Masonic party was their repugnance to the fact 
that the ceremony of laying the corner-stone of the 
Monument was performed by the Grand Master of 
Free Masons, and that this fact, and the words " Alex- 
ander Paris, Architect," are inscribed on the plate 
deposited in the foundation of the Monument. They 
desired to get possession of the Monument to remove 
this plate, or, if that should be impracticable, to insert 
another which should correct or supersede it. In 
their published "Report," they say: — 

They desire a suitable correction of the inscription, so that 
the truth may be handed down to future ages. This correc- 
tion may be made at a trifling expense, and with no injury to 
the Monument, simply by inserting a new plate with a true 
inscription on the highest course of stone now laid. 

But, aside from all considerations connected with the 
Masonic character of the inscription, the undersigned put it 
to their fellow-citizens, and especially the members of the 
Association, whether the plate deposited in the foundation 
ought to bear the name of a person as architect, who had no 
concern with the design or erection? 

It is, however, none the less the fact that Mr. Paris 
did personate the Architect on that great historic 
occasion, being duly authorized, and did perfoi'm the 
part assigned to the architect, which is deemed 
essential in the Masonic ceremony of laying a corner- 



248 HISTORY OF THE 

stone. It is recorded that, on receiving the imple- 
ments with the usual injunction from the Grand 
Master, he made the following modest and exceed- 
ingly felicitous reply : — 

Most Worshipful Grand Master, — I receive from your 
hands these implements of science and labor belonging to my 
craft and profession with feelings of great personal diffidence, 
but still in the strongest confidence and faith that such is 
the triumphant spirit of the age, and such the numbers, ability, 
and power of those who have ordered the craftsmen to com- 
mence building, that the work will go bravely on, and the 
fathers who have this day come up, resting each upon his 
staff, to see you lay the corner-stone, will live long enough 
to witness the dedication at the completion of the structure. 

Mr. Paris had on request furnished designs to the 
Committee, and also estimates of the comparative cost 
of a column and an obelisk, and these corresponded 
very closely with those made by Mr. Willard. He 
was well know^n as a skilful architect, and had been 
employed with Colonel Baldwin upon the public works 
of the United States, and he had then a fair prospect 
of being the permanent architect of the Monument. 
He superintended the laying of the foundation and 
the preparing of the corner-stone, both of which were 
executed in a workmanlike manner by Gridley Bryant, 
and were deemed sufficient for the structure then con- 
templated. The fact that subsequenth^ a deeper 
foundation was laid for a weightier structure, and a 
more massive stone substituted, is as immaterial as 
the fact that the members of the Building Committee 
and most of the officers of the Association were 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 249 

changed during the progress of the work. The great 
object of the pubhc ceremony is to commemorate the 
beginning of a great enterprise, and the inscription on 
the phite deposited in the foundation should properly 
bear the names of those persons who took part or 
Avere officers on that day. Another ceremony upon a 
change of plan, and another great public occasion with 
an oration upon the substitution of a larger stone, 
would have been most absurd. It would have been 
alike injudicious to deposit, as proposed, a plate with 
another inscription in the Monument forty feet from 
the ground. 

It was charged also that the Masonic ceremony was 
attended with great disproportionate expense, whereas 
it did not cost the Association a dollar. The whole 
expense of that imposing celebration was $4,720.85, 
which included the excavation and foundation, then 
deemed adequate for the proposed structure, and all 
the arrangements for the seating of the audience, the 
escort, music, and the entertainment of invited guests. 
Their Report sa3^s : — 

The public entertained no doubt that the nation's guest, 
General Lafayette, was to lay the corner-stone of the struc- 
ture. For the performance of such a ceremony by so august 
a personage, no reasonable expenditure of the funds of the 
Association Avould have probably been deemed extravagant 
or useless. 

A great attempt was made to cast odium upon the 
ISIasonic fraternity, as though they had contrived 
through Mr. Oliver, a Director and Past Grand Mas- 

32 



250 HISTORY OF THE 

ter, to wrest from General Lafayette this honor. But 
it has been shown that the question was not whether 
Lafayette or the Grand Master should perform the 
ceremony, for it had been before determined that it 
would have been otherwise performed by Mr. Webster, 
as President of the Association. When Mr. Oliver 
and Judge Prescott conferred with him upon the 
propriety of inviting the Grand Master to officiate, 
they undoubtedly satisfied him, from the fact that 
General Joseph Warren died on the field while 
holding that office, and that the Lodge of Masons in 
Charlestown had so early erected a conspicuous monu- 
ment to his memory, that this form of ceremony — 
often solicited from its traditional authority and nat- 
ural fitness in the erection of public structures, when 
there was no special reason — was peculiarly appro- 
priate to this occasion, would be also perfectly satis- 
factory to General Lafayette, known to be a devoted 
member of the order, and, more than all, would greatly 
add to the eclat of the celebration. 

The other complaint made by the new men in the 
Board was the purchase of fifteen acres of land in- 
stead of only the five acres which the Association was 
authorized to take by the right of eminent domain. 
It was on account of these alleged objections coming 
to the public ear that the new by-laws were passed, 
tying the hands of the objectors, so that not a stone 
should be laid, nor the land sold, nor any thing else 
done upon it without the vote of the Association at a 
meeting to be specially convened. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 251 

It is proper to state that Di\ Abner Phelps was 
elected President in his absence withont any instru- 
mentality of his own, and that he accepted the posi- 
tion — so disagreeable under the circumstances — in 
deference to the judgment of his political associates. 
He was a graduate of Williams College of the class 
of 1806. He was an affable gentleman, and was well 
established in this city as a physician of good repute. 
He took at this time a leading part in the promotion 
of the Western Railroad, and in this direction he was 
more successful, and made himself more useful to the 
community. 

One result of this unfortunate controversy was 
another able and eloquent Address from the ever- 
ready pen of Mr. Everett. It was a plea against sell- 
ing any of the land. It stated that those who had 
advanced money upon it were in no haste to enforce 
their claim; that in a few years, in one generation at 
the farthest, Boston and Charlestown might be con- 
stituted one municipality, the bridges between them 
would be free avenues, and as in former times Charles- 
town was the abode of the Russells and Dexters, and 
men of that class, to whom expense was no object in 
the selection of a residence, so it would again be re- 
sorted to by such men; and in the mean while let this 
field be planted with trees, and it would become as 
attractive a spot for a promenade as any in the world, 
and then the idea of selling any portion of it would 
no more be tolerated than would now be the proposal 
to sell a part of Boston Common, to which this land 



252 HISTORY OF THE 

on Bunker Hill was in many respects superior. The 
address then forcibly stated the historic reasons Avhy 
the whole land acquired by the Association should be 
preserved for posterity, and concluded with the fol- 
lowing strong statement of the author's faith in the 
finishing of the Monument: — 

Many of the original subscribers, it is known, were and 
are ready to double their subscriptions ; and we have no 
reason to doubt that the Commonwealth will yet, from 
its ample funds, contribute effectivel}^ to the object, or, at 
least, that it will purchase and for ever secure the field of 
battle. 

The Monument will he completed. What has already been 
done is as substantial as the Pyramids of Egypt. It will stand 
uninjured to the end of time. If this generation cannot or 
will not finish it, the next will. It would be pleasant to those 
who witnessed the commencement to behold the completion 
of the work. But, if Ave prefer waiting, the work can wait. 
It is a work which will last, unless an earthquake shall shake 
it down, while the earth lasts. Let us proceed in it with an 
elevation of feeling worthy of its character and destinj^, and 
take no step under temporary excitements. Our brave fathers 
who encountered the perils of the 17th June, 1775, many of 
them realized but few of the blessings for which they staked 
their lives. How few of them have survived to witness such 
of the happy consequences of the Revolution as have been 
unfolded within our experience ! We trust in the providence 
of God, that, long after we have followed our fathers to the 
dust, still richer blessings will flow to our children, and our 
children's children, from those sacrifices and sufferings which 
we would now piously commemorate. It may be even so as 
regards the Monument. If the enthusiasm which, seven or 
eight years ago, was awakened on the subject of a Monument 
on Bunker Hill, is for the present extinct, be it so : it will 
revive again. The next generation, the next jubilee, will see 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 253 

it rekindled warmer, more affectionate, more ardent for the 
delay. In the interval, the massy granite already laid will 
not soften ; and, if we do not rashly alienate the soil, the 
smooth green sod that now surrounds the rising obelisk will 
remain unchanged, to be trodden by the grateful and enthusi- 
astic multitudes, who will then press forward to complete our 
unfinished work. If we sell the land, we shall, without rais- 
ing a dollar to carry on the structure, take a step at once 
irreparable, and the best calculated to discourage all further 
effort on the part of those who have hitherto had it at heart 
to prevent the desecration of Bunker Hill. 

Let us beware, then, of selling that famous field, rendered 
sacred by the deeds and hallowed by the relics of our ances- 
tors ; and let those who set their names to such an act pre- 
pare to have those names covered with the execrations of the 
latest posterity, who will never cease to lament their avarice 
and stand amazed at their want of patriotism. 

This pathetic appeal was virtually lost upon the 
peoj^le. It might have awakened their patriotic emo- 
tions for the moment, but it did not serve to induce 
them to make the trifling pecuniary sacrifice required 
to preserve entire the memorable field on which their 
fathers fought to give them Liberty and Indepen- 
dence. If only Mr. Everett's timely warning had 
been heeded, with what added gratitude and joy 
would not the wealthy and enlarged metropolis of 
Boston now hail her newly acquired possession of the 
historic Charlestown! 

The unfinished structure had now stood for four 
years, covered in by a temporary roof, with its hoist- 
ing mast lowered as if in defeat, and looking, as it 
stood surrounded by the massive stones prepared for 



254 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 

the upper courses, and lying promiscuously at its base, 
like a sublime ruin, the shock indeed of a great con- 
vulsion of nature. The winds of the wintry storm 
expended their fury upon it, the mast waved, the clat- 
tering boards moaned piteously to their rage, but it 
stood as firm as the everlasting rock. The sun and 
the moon in turn cast their lingering beams upon it, 
and then silently passed on, as if expecting each new 
revolution to greet its promised summit. But wait, 
and see what may come of the impending cloud 
threatening the country ! If the Union, for which 
the fathers fought, be not, indeed, to last; if Presi- 
dent Jackson, with his patriotic firmness, aided by 
'Webster in the Senate, do not now succeed in 
demolishing the Hydra doctrine of nullification, the 
Monument had better never be completed, but it 
should remain always unfinished, like a broken col- 
umn, emblematic of a Republic of magnificent prom- 
ise in its rise, but prematurely dismembered, and 
inglorious in its fall. 






^"A 




0«-' 



Qk, 




<3^<_t vSLc 



CHAPTER XII. 

The proofs of true munificence must be drawn from the uses to 
which a man of wealth applies his fortune. 

AMOS LAWRENCE was of the highest type of 
manhood. He was born in Groton, Middlesex 
Connty, April 22, 1786. His father, Samnel Law- 
rence, was one of the minute-men of his town; and it 
is related of him that on the morning of the 19th 
April, 1775, when Colonel Prescott rode rapidly to 
his house from the neighboring town of Pepperell, and 
said to him, " Samnel, notify your men, the British are 
coming," he rode seven miles in forty minutes, noti- 
fied every one, and on the next day he reached Cam- 
bridge with them after a rapid march of thirty miles; 
that he was in the Battle of Bunker Hill, and received 
a bullet through his cap which cut oflp some of his 
hair, and a grape-shot which grazed his arm. He 
lived to see the fiftieth anniversary of that event; he 
became a magistrate of the county, and held several 
offices in his town. 

Amos Lawrence, though always in delicate liealth, 
and frequentl}^ detained at home by sickness, received 
an excellent education at the Groton Academy, which 
has since been so liberally endowed by him and his 
flimily, that their name has been given to it. After an 



256 HISTORY OF THE 

apprenticeship in a country store, he came to Boston 
upon being of age, and shortly estabhshed himself in 
business on his own account. He received his brother 
Abbott Lawrence as a clerk at the age of fifteen, and 
as a partner on his majority. The co-partnership thus 
formed was dissolved onl}^ by death. The house was 
known to be as successful and as highly respected 
as any in the city, or in the whole country. From the 
great wealth which Amos Lawrence acquired he made 
many liberal endow^ments in his lifetime. His con- 
stant charity was bounded neither by sectarian nor 
by narrow local lines. In the latter part of his life, 
he was not satisfied with conforming to the Christian 
standard of bestowing one tenth of his income, but, 
reversing it, he kept only the tenth part, and gave 
nine-tenths away. He derived so much pure enjoy- 
ment from becoming his own executor, that he im- 
parted this secret of true happiness, where he thought 
it would avail, to some of his friends also blessed with 
Avealth, and in several instances induced them to make 
specific gratuities where greatly needed; but the 
generous deed and its promoter were carefully kept 
from the public eye. He delighted in the silent flow 
of his own beneficence, and rejoiced in living a quiet, 
unostentatious Christian life. A man of large brain 
and a big heart, of keen sagacity and undeviating 
rectitude, he needed only confirmed health, so that he 
might continually go about, to make him the greatest 
philanthropist of the age. 

It was to be expected from his heritage and his 
own character that he would embrace the plan of the 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 257 

Association Avith enthusiasm, and that, supposing the 
public generally participated with him in the same 
feeling, he would have faith in its ultimate success, — 
a faith which he subsequently intended should be re- 
alized by his works, even if unaided. In the begin- 
ning of his labors, he had the following correspond- 
ence with Dr. Warren : — 

Dear Sir, — The contributions to the Monument are going 
on well. I have now no anxiety that the amount will fall be- 
low twenty-five thousand dollars. I have seen a number of 
the Committee, and they say there is an almost universally 
good spirit prevailing toward it. Almost every man gives 
something ; but the best contributions, and the most liberal, 
are from the young men and those in the middling walks of 
hfe. 

I have not been so successful as I had hoped in the section 
of Ward No. 10, — embracing Colonnade Row round through 
Boylston Street, down to West Street, embracing that small 
square ; but it will not fall short of a thousand dollars, includ- 
ing Mr. Lowell's, Mr. Rice's, and my own subscription, which 
makes one half that sum. 

Our Row ought to have given that at least, but some of the 
gentlemen who are very rich profess to care nothing about 
it, and give little, less even than some of the industrious 
young carpenters and masons. To-morrow another Com- 
mittee takes it into another section of the ward : the ward is 
divided into five sections. 

I would by no means publish the names of contributors 
at present ; some of the large subscriptions have been made 
under an express pledge that they shall not be newspapered. 
I think it was a sad mistake your Committee made in publish- 
ing single subscriptions in the first place : it has well-nigh 
ruined you. When your subscriptions are through, it may 
then be a matter to be well considered whether to give them 
a newspaper publicity. 

33 



258 HISTORY OF THE 

It will be well, however, to take notice now of the progress 
the subscriptions are making, as many people like to hear it 
is going on well. 

Yours truly, 



Amos Lawjrence. 



Dr. Warren. 



If I had some blank certificates, I could get some more 
money with them. 



Boston, Nov. 23, 1824. 

Deae. Sie, — Agreeably to your suggestion, I send you 
twenty blanks, and shall be happy to send more, if you find 
them useful to the execution of your plans. 

In regard to the publication of the subscriptions, I believe 
you and your friends differ from the general opinion. There 
may be a few individuals who are sufficiently disinterested 
and patriotic to give their money from a sentiment of public 
good ; but nine out of ten are influenced in their donations 
by the consideration of the opinion which the public will 
have in regard to them ; and, if it were once understood that 
their names and contributions were to remain unpublished 
and unknown, I fancy the subscription would not be a very 
great one. In regard to the publication of the first subscrip- 
tions, it is possible that one or two might have been advan- 
tageously omitted ; but, even with the unfavorable impression 
made by these, I have no hesitation in saying, that not one 
circumstance has more powerfully operated to excite the true 
feeling than the publication of those subscriptions. I do not, 
therefore, admit it to be a sad mistake, but a most fortunate 
occurrence. 

In a word, nw dear sir, it is much more easy to find fault 
than to improve ; and I doubt whether so great an object 
could have gone on with more success than this has done 
thus far, under any management. However, I believe the 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 259 

effect of the first publication to be sufficient for tlie present 
purpose, as it leads every one to expect their names to appear 
first or last ; and therefore I shall not press the point, especi- 
ally as I have no doubt that your influence and assiduity will 
more than compensate for any deficiency on other grounds. 

I remain, very faithfully, yours, 

John C. Waeeen. 

It appears by the following letter that he foresaw 
the awkwardness of the situation, — in which indeed 
many honorable persons find themselves placed, bnt 
feel conscious of being able to meet, — that of being 
obliged in one capacity to negotiate with himself in 
another. ISTevertbeless, he determined for his own 
part not to be put in snch a position : — 

Boston, Feb. 28, 1827. 

My dear Sir, — I held five shares in the Quincy Railway 
Company, which I subscribed for originally, solely to aid the 
Bunker Hill Monument Association, and have held them to 
this time for the same purpose ; but the time has now come 
when I am required to act in the double capacity of Com- 
mittee-man for the Bunker Hill Monument Association and 
proprietor in the railway, in a matter of bargain between the 
two. Although I feel that my bias is strongly toward the 
Monument, I do not wish to be placed in a situation that any 
one can say hereafter that / hargaiyied tvith myself^ and, 
whether with justice or not, that the railway made money 
out of the Monument. I some time since had an application 
for my stock, which I declined selling, but shall offer it for 
sale immediately at cost and interest. If I sell it, I will serve 
on the committee to which I was appoiuted at the last meet- 
ing of the Building Committee ; if I do not sell it, shall 
decline serving on that committee, and nominate yourself in 
my place. 



260 ' HISTORY OF THE 

I hope the Railway Company may be induced to contract 
to perform the work for a less sum than the sub-committee 
were authorized to pay. 

Very truly yours, 

Amos Lawrence. 

Dr. J. C. Warren, 

Chairman of Building Committee B. H. M. A. 

As soon as he saw his way clear to take the office 
of member of the Building Committee, he made him- 
self thoroughly acquainted with every detail of the 
workj with the cost of every part, and the means of 
payment. Acting as Secretary of the Committee, and 
keeping all the papers, he soon came to admire Mr. 
Willard's admirable methods, and the wonderful skill 
and economy with which he managed every thing. 
He felt the great loss which Mr. Willard's withdrawal 
would be to the Association, and he earnestly strove 
to prevent it, as the following letters will show: — 

Boston, June 20, 1827. 
Dear Sir, — I am truly sorry for your determination in 
giving up the superintendence of the Monument. The meas- 
ure will be a serious injury to its progress the present season. 
At any rate, I most anxiously desire that you will continue 
your judicious care for a few days, until we can look about 
us ; and in the mean time, perhaps, some arrangements can be 
made that will be satisfactory to you. I have been at your 
lodgings and shop this morning, in hopes of seeing you. If 
you Avill name any time and place when and wdiere I can see 
you, I will do it. You have too much regard for the object of 
your long continued labor to be willing to see it put in jeop- 
ardy by any feelings of a private nature. Again I most ear- 
nestly desire you to continue for a few days. 

Truly yours, " A. L. 

S. WiLLAUD, Esq. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 261 

June 22. 

My deae Sie, — Since I saw you, I have seen Mr. Willard, 
and among the reasons he gives for resigning his phice as 
superintendent of the Monument (none being given in the 
note I showed you from him) are that the Chairman of the 
Building Committee has never felt an interest in the success of 
the ijlan^ and that he will not be likely to help it along ; but, 
on the contrary, Avill retard it. He has strong prejudices, 
and it is difficult to remedy them. I have obtained from the 
head quarryman and Mr. Savage an outside estimate of the 
cost of laying ten courses (26| feet), which the}^ make 19,938. 
This, I have no doubt, is an outside estimate. 

I promised to inform you when I should learn the reasons 
Willard gives for leaving the work. Had I better send Wil- 
lard's note to the Chairman ? I have had strong hopes the 
thing might blow over, and the Colonel not know it, but 
Willard, I think, does not intend to return. 

A. L. 

Gen. Sullivan. 

General Dearborn wrote him an earnest letter, 
desiring him to withdraw his opposition to a lottery, 
and intimating that, by his influence in favor, the 
grant could be obtained, and that in no other way 
could the desired means be raised at that time. But 
he was firm in his opposition. He had the opinion 
that, when the Monument should be cari'ied up to 
the height of forty feet, it would plead its own 
cause, and the money could easily be procured. He 
hiduced his associates to join with him in obtaining 
a loan upon the pledge of the land outside the 
reserved square, and General Sullivan, Dr. Warren, 
Colonel Perkins, General Dearborn, and himself gave 
their personal obligations to the Suffolk Bank for 
$22,000. 



262 HISTORY OF THE 

As a last resort, when other measures had failed, 
he appealed to the Massachusetts Charitable Me- 
chanics Association in the following letter: — 

Boston, April 21, 1833. 

Gentlemen, — Being myself earnestly desirous that the 
Bunker Hill Monument should be completed according to the 
original plan, and that that, together with the wliole of the 
land now owned b}^ the Bunker Hill Monument Association 
in Charlestown, being the famous battle-field, be dedicated 
and preserved to the public as a perpetual memorial to future 
generations of the ardent love of liberty and the pure princi- 
ples of patriotism, of the hardy virtues which influenced 
their ancestors to attempt, and enabled them to achieve, our 
national independence, I present this proposition to j'ou, 
believing that any object which powerfully approves itself to 
your Association is sure to find favor with the public. It is 
unnecessary to look back for errors in the management of the 
Bunker Hill Monument Association, as such restrospect will 
do nothing in aid of our present plan. It is sufficient to state 
that the Association is in debt twenty -eight thousand dollars, 
and that two-thirds of this famous field is liable to be sold for 
the payment of this debt. If saved from clesecratio7i, at no 
very distant time the whole field will be estimated as above 
price. Sixty thousand dollars will finish the Monument, 
secure the whole field, and do something towards fencing 
and ornamenting it. To collect this sum requires a strong 
movement, but it can be done. The present is the most 
favorable time to do it there has been for some years. My 
brothers will give their influence, labor, and money in aid of 
it, and I will pay five thousand dollars, provided fifty thou- 
sand dollars be paid, or secured to be paid, within three 
months from all sources, or ten per cent on any less sum 
than fifty thousand dollars. Your Association had it in con- 
templation to purchase or build a suitable edifice for your 
own occasions a few years since, and I believe were pre- 
vented by considerations of prudence in regard to the state 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 263 

of 5^our funds. I shall esteem it a privilege to contribute the 
same amount to this object, if you still have it in view, that 
1 do to the Bunker Hill Monument Association, if the plan 
succeeds of saving the land by your aid, or I will apply the 
amount in such other way as will be most useful that you 
may point out for the benefit of 3^our Association. 

Very respectfully yours, 

(Signed) Amos Lawrence. 

Hon. S. T. Armstrong, 1 

Hon. Ch. Wells, {Members of the Mass. Charitable 

J. T. Buckingham, and f Mechanic Association. 

J. P. Thorndike, Esq., J 

This society was established in Boston in 1795, 
under the influence of Panl Revei'e, the patriot leader 
of the people during the Revolution, and afterwards 
the conspicuous supporter of the adoption of the Con- 
stitution of the United States. It was incorjiorated 
ten years afterwards, and had grown up to be one 
of the most flourishing societies in the country. Its 
membership had always included the leading mechan- 
ics and manufacturers of the State. Its objects have 
been improvement in arts and manufactures, a chari- 
table care for fellow-members overtaken by misfortune, 
and the promotion of social intercourse. By the 
shrewd management of its fund, its means of doing 
good have become great, and its high character has 
long been established. Its roll of active members in- 
cludes many of the leading men in the city and the 
Commonwealth, and it has conferred honorary mem- 
bership upon distinguished statesmen and scholars, 
commencing with the elder Adams, the second Presi- 
dent of the United States. For orators it has had 



264 HISTORY OF THE 

Webster, Everett, and Winthrop. Its triennial fairs 
and festivals have become celebrated. 

It was a happy thought of Mr. Lawrence to address 
the leading gentlemen of this society, and they could 
not overlook the terms of his proposition. It was 
deemed of such importance that a special meeting of 
the society was called, at which the letter was read, 
and Joseph T. Buckingham, the President, Samuel T. 
Armstrong, Charles Wells, and John P. Thorndike 
were appointed a Committee to confer with the Di- 
rectors of the Monument Association, and to report 
measures for action. The Directors cordially as- 
sented to a new popular effort to be made in the 
name of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic 
Association, and appointed General Sullivan, Amos 
Lawrence, and Thomas J. Goodwin a Committee to 
confer with them respecting the officers to be elected 
at the next annual meeting, in order that they might 
more fully be represented in the government of the 
Monument Association. 

A meeting of the Mechanic Association was called 
at Faneuil Hall on Tuesday, May 28, 1833, at four 
o'clock in the afternoon, in aid of the Bunker Hill 
Monument. The whole public were invited. The 
Directors of the Monument Association voted to at- 
tend in a body, published notices inviting the mem- 
bers of the Association also to attend, and furnished 
the speakers for the occasion. 

Faneuil Hall was crowded and densely packed as 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCL^TION. 265 

never before. President Buckingham called the meet- 
ing to order, and read the resolutions adopted by the 
Trustees, and an address to the people of the Com- 
monwealth, signed by all the members of the gov- 
ernment of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic 
Association. George Blake introduced appropriate 
resolutions, which he enforced in a concise, senten- 
tious speech. Colonel Charles G. Greene followed 
to second the resolutions in a brief speech, pertinent 
and well delivered. He declared that " Every one who 
values the name of an American, and the high char- 
acter his country has assumed among the nations of 
the earth, must be anxious to have the first step in her 
brilliant career marked by a memorial worthy of its 
importance. And, again, it is to the cause of Liberty 
and the Rights of Man that this Monument is to be 
erected; and who that values these blessings but will 
wish to see this splendid token of their existence, 
pointing in the perfection of its grandeur to the Great 
Source from whence they emanated." 

The next speaker was Mr. Everett, who seems to 
have been ever ready to answer to the calls made upon 
him in behalf of the public, and especially of the 
Monument. He might have well declined at this 
time, — as most men would have done, — upon the 
ground that, if his advice had been followed, the 
Monument, such as he proposed, would have been 
finished, and the whole land would have been held, 
and now enjoyed, ornamented, and free of debt, and 
that he had already devoted as much of his time and 
energy to the object as he could afford. But no: he 

34 



266 HISTORY OF THE 

felt that a great public duty was yet to be performed, 
and he was willing to do his part until it was per- 
formed. 

"Webster, in his eulogy upon Adams and Jefferson, 
describing true eloquence, said, "It must consist in 
the man, in the subject, and in the occasion; " but 
Everett often himself made the occasion. The Monu- 
ment was now a trite theme. He had written sevei'al 
addresses upon it, which had been everywhere circu- 
lated, and had been thoroughly read. What more 
could he say ? As he stepped forward upon the plat- 
form hearty cheers welcomed him. It was his first 
speech in Faneuil Hall. In his graceful presence, his 
kindled eye, and earnest expression, there was a 
magic magnetism which won rather than commanded 
attention. He addressed the Society as brethren, 
being an honorary member. He alluded to the re- 
proaches cast upon the management of the Directors 
of the Bunker Hill Monument Association, and he 
stood ready to take his full share from any one who 
had given as much time as he had, or even, from any 
one who would agree to give as much in future, he 
would be willing to receive what he considered un- 
merited censure. But the Monument unfinished for 
so many years had come to be a public reproach, and 
a disgrace to this generation. He knew that they all 
felt it was time that it was completed, and yet they 
would not do it from the feeling that they were about 
to take off the reproach, but from the conviction that 
a Monument should be built, even if one had not been 



BUXKER HILL MONUMEN'T ASSOCIATION. 267 

commenced. He then demonstrated at length with 
copions iUnstration the ntilitj of the Monument, prov- 
ing that, after all, taking in view the aims and pur- 
poses of life, the greater gratification one derives from 
the higher moral sentiments, and the immense advan- 
tage to the public from their inculcation by so proud 
a memorial, it was really the best and most useful 
thing they could do for the public good. He next 
carried them back to the times when the fathers of the 
Revolution spoke to the people in this very Hall; he 
reminded them of the self-denial, the devoted heroism 
of Warren, of his conspicuous courage and devotion in 
the Battle of Bunker Hill, and he closed with repeat- 
ing in thrilling accents, and as if in application to 
them at this very moment, the well-known words which 
had before echoed within these walls : " The voice of 
your Fathers' blood cries to you from the ground." 

The effect was unexampled. The shortened address 
of Judge Story which followed, though highly appro- 
priate and impressive, seemed, in comparison, like the 
benediction pronounced by another clergyman after 
the entrancing sermon of an eloquent divine. Every 
one said, as the assembly broke up, " The Monument 
IS completed," so thoroughly persuaded were they all 
that this grand appeal would be followed by instan- 
taneous action, needing no other prompter. 

Mr. Lawrence felt great chagrin that the favorable 
opportunity was not immediately improved. If he 
had been well, he said, he would have obtained the 
whole amount in forty-eight hours. If Mr. Bucking- 
ham, who presided, had, before the adjournment. 



268 HISTORY OF THE 

called from the chair for subscriptions, he might have 
obtained all the money needed on the spot. But they 
waited until the address of the Committee should be 
sent to all the towns in the State, as if they would be 
accompanied by the persuasive presence and voice of 
the great orator. 

At the ensuing annual meeting of the Monument 
Association, the Directors reported some new by-laws 
which were adopted. By these the Government was 
vested in a Board consisting of the President, five 
Vice-Presidents, fifty Directoi's, the Treasurer and 
Secretarj^; it was also recommended to choose the 
President of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic 
Association for the time being in this and all future 
elections the first Yice-President of the Bunker Hill 
Monument Association, which ai'rangement has al- 
ways been continued. At this meeting the former 
officers of the Monument Association were re-elected ; 
and Mr. Buckingham, ex officio, Samuel T. Arm- 
strong, and Charles Wells were the first three Yice- 
Presidents, leaving Dr. Warren and General Sullivan 
to be the fourth and fifth. The twenty additional 
Directors were officers and leading members of the 
Mechanic Association, being at the same time mem- 
bers of the Monument Association. The Board con- 
tinued till 1836, with the single alteration in 1835 of 
Joseph Jenkins, chosen fifth Vice-President in place 
of General Sullivan resigned. A new Diploma was 
authorized to be engraved at the expense of the 
Monument Association, and a very large number of 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 269 

copies were sti-iick off and placed in the hands of the 
Mechanic Association, to be given to the subscribers 
they might obtain. 

Mr. Everett wrote the following letter to General 
Sullivan in relation to the style of the Diploma, and a 
new mode of raising money: — 

Chaklestown, 8th July, 1833. 

Deaii Sir, — I have yours of the 5th. I deeply regret that 
my engagements are such as again to put it out of my power 
to attend the meeting of the Directors. 

I like your sketch of a certificate very much. As at pres- 
ent advised, I should think there would be a propriety in 
having each certificate signed (iiot facsimiled') by the Presi- 
dent and Secretary. Their offices point them out as the 
proper signers, and their relation to Colonel Prescott would 
give a peculiar fitness to their signing. There are other 
names entitled, by services rendered to the undertaking, to 
be connected with this memorial of it ; but I do not know on 
what principle of selection you could proceed, by which you 
could get their names upon the certificate, without including 
others. 

But I am myself strongly inclined to think that, on the 
score of economy, it would be better to issue, at present, 
merely a printed paper to each new subscriber, certifying that 
he is one, and stating it to be the purpose of the Directors, 
wlien the work is completed, to deliver to each member 
an engraved certificate. The paper might set forth some 
reasons for this course. 

You observe that the half of the tolls of the old bridge for 
June, amounting to nearly $700, has been paid. Unfor- 
tunately the sensitive jealousy of some of the friends of the 
new bridge went far in impairing the effect of the arrange- 
ment made by the Directors of the old bridge. Others, how- 
ever, of the new bridge people (as John Skinner and Ebeu 



270 HISTORY OF THE 

Breed), fell in cordially. But for the iinliappy jealousy al- 
luded to, the moiety of the tolls would have been at least 
$1,000, and in that event the arrangement would have been 
continued, and would of itself have been nearly adequate to 
raise what we yet want. Now I want you, in your practical 
wisdom and tact, to devise the means of setting this going 
again, under kindlier auspices. Get the Directors of the old 
bridge to renew the arrangement, with possibly some modifi- 
cation ; and get round General Austin, of Charlestown, and 
persuade him to take a different view of the subject. 

Perhaps the old bridge would consent to give us the entire 
net increase of toll over the average of their former receipts. 
I know it is expecting them to be kindly disposed ; but as by 
net increase, I understand the excess over the old average, 
after a fair deduction for wear and tear of bridge and ex- 
pense of collection, I do not know why they should not. It 
would not be against their interest, and it would conciliate 
some favor, and promote the end we have at heart. 

Perhaps a small, respectable Committee of the Directors 
(and that body could furnish no other), to confer with the 
Directors of the old bridge and the new, and take measures, 
would be useful. Such a Committee could have done some- 
thing to make the arrangemeut more effective in June. I 
Avrote about twenty communications in newspapers, and letters 
to procure them written ; but the knowledge of the arrange- 
ment did not fairly spread into the region of the main East- 
ern travel, — did not soak into the country. 

I think we may yet get $1,000 per month out of the old 
bridge. With great respect, E. Everett. 

P. S. The lines from Percival are very pretty, but the idea 
they inculcate seems at variance with the Monument. 

A word from the gentlemen who acted as counsel for the 
new bridge might do good. 

The new Diploma, however, bore the facsimiled 
signatures of the fifty-eight officei's of the Associa- 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 271 

tion. It was twice as large as the first Diploma. 'No 
report was made to the Momiment Association of the 
persons to whom it was issued. 

The following is the concluding part of one of these 
communications written for the newspapers by Mr. 
Everett for the purpose of drawing the travel over 
Charles River Bi'idge, in order to help on the Monu- 
ment. This apj^eared in the Boston " Advertiser: " — 

We trust our friends on all hands, who drive out on parties 
of pleasure during the month, will take this direction, and 
pass Charles River Bridge. It is a very favorable time to see 
the Dry Dock in the Navy Yard, especially if Old Ironsides 
should, as is anticipated, be taken into it this month. Chelsea 
Beach is one of the finest drives on the coast. The Nahant 
Hotel is opened. The range of country through Maiden, the 
upper part of Charlestown, Medford, and West Cambridge, 
furnishes a delightful excursion. For a shorter excursion, 
besides the Navy Yard, Charlestown itself furnishes much 
attraction. The State Prison is now a perfect specimen of 
the improved system of prison discipline, and well worth ex- 
amination by intelligent strangers. The simple monument 
to Harvard on Burying Hill is a very pleasing object ; and 
old Bunker Hill itself is worth a pilgrimage to every one 
who has not, or who has already, visited it. In short, we 
do not well see how a man could get so much good out of 
his toll as by paying it at the old bridge daring the month 
of June. 

General Nathaniel Austin, to whom Mr. Everett's 
letter refers, was the brother of William Austin, 
the author and lawyer before mentioned, and was the 
champion of the Free Bridge doctrine, by which the 
"Warren Bridge was built. It was claimed by many 
that after the subscribers, who built that bridge, had 



272 HISTORY OF THE 

been reimbursed from tbe tolls, and had surrendered 
it to the State, according to the terms of their charter, 
it would be lawful and expedient to continue the tolls 
for the general benefit of the State, and further that 
the State was bound so to do, as long as the extended 
charter of the Charles River Bridge was in force, as 
this would be of no value if the new bridge were free. 
General Austin insisted that the toll on the bridge 
was like a tax upon a highway, and that it was not 
lawful to tax a highway, except for its own support. 
He feared the precedent of applying any portion of 
the tolls even to building the Monument. So Mr. 
Everett and General Sullivan were again disappointed 
in their expectations. 

The Directors of the Monument Association acceded 
to the suggestion of the Ti'ustees of the Mechanic 
Association that the latter should have the charge of 
continuing the building of the Monument under a 
Building Committee by them appointed, but also 
under the supervision of an Executive Committee on 
the part of the Monument Association. Mr. Buck- 
ingham, General Sullivan, John Skinner, Ebenezer 
Breed, George Darracott, N^athaniel Hammond, Wil- 
liam W. Stone, Joseph Jenkins, and John P. Thorn- 
dike were made this Committee. They immediately 
appointed a sub-committee of three to make examina- 
tions and estimates as to the work done and to be 
done, — who expended a vast amount of time and 
labor, for which they received the thanks of the whole 
Board. Their report is as follows: — 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION, 273 

The Committee appointed to ascertain what proportion of 
the Bunker Hill Monument had already been completed, the 
quantity of material now on hand ready for use, the amount 
of stone required to complete the structure according to the 
original plan, and the probable cost of the same, have at- 
tended the duty assigned them, and herewith subjoin their 
report : — 

That, after a very careful and minute examination and 
investigation, they employed Mr. Perez Loring, an able and 
experienced measurer, who with great care has gone over the 
whole ground, and has also compared his own actual ad- 
measurements with the original plans, and with the advice 
and assistance of Mr. Solomon Willard, the able and original 
architect, has given a tabular statement, not only of the whole 
amount required, but the quantity in each course, thus en- 
abling your Committee to calculate with some degree of cer- 
tainty the cost of erection to any given height, should it be 
thought advisable to vary the original plan ; and they find, as 
will be shown by schedule A, that the whole amount of stone 
required to build the Monument to the original height of 
220 feet is 87,032 cubic feet. Of this amount, 35,876 feet have 
already been laid in the Monument, leaving 51,156 feet re- 
quired to complete the structure. Your Committee also find 
that there is now on the hill, quarried and dressed, and ready 
to go into the work, 6,910 feet, and leaves the amount re- 
quired to complete the work 45,256 feet ; and this amount is 
further reduced by a quantity of stone quarried, but not 
dressed, amounting to 16,016 feet, which leaves to be quar- 
ried 29,230 feet. By reference to the aforementioned sched- 
ule A, it will be seen at a single glance the quantity of coarse 
and fine hammering required to fit this stone and prepare it 
for use in the work. Thus far your Committee have but 
little difficulty in completing the task assigned them ; but a 
still further duty devolved upon them, and one which your 
Committee have found more laborious, and attended with 
more difficulty than had been anticipated. They allude to 
the more important part of estimating the probable expense 

35 



274 HISTORY OF THE 

of completing the structure ; and your Committee would here 
premise that, this Avork being unique in its kind, no possible 
diligence on their part could enable them to do more than 
approximate towards the truth in any estimate which they 
might hazard. If, on the one hand, they measured this work 
by the standard of works approximating in a very small 
degree towards this in magnitude, and based their estimates 
upon prices paid for heavy masses of granite, which had been 
used upon public and private buildings in the vicinity, the 
estimates would so far outrun the extent of any means which 
would probably ever be within the control of the Association 
that the enterprise would probably be abandoned in despair ; 
and if, on the other hand, they were willing to take the esti- 
mates of the very able and intelligent engineer who has here- 
tofore superintended and directed the work, they should have 
gone directly in opposition to the opinion of every practical 
man with whom they advised, and were fearful they should 
have made a report which would have led to error, and the 
sum raised would have been found insufficient to complete 
the work, and consequently another appeal would have been 
necessary to the liberality and patriotism of the public. They 
have therefore adopted that course which, upon the whole, 
appeared most advisable and most safe to your Committee ; 
viz., to base their report upon this as they should upon that 
of any other public or private work which they were called to 
estimate upon, — viz., the opinions of practical men actively 
engaged in business of a similar character, and of their own 
judgment. 

By reference to schedule B, it Avill be seen that your Com- 
mittee estimate the expense of completing the Monument 
according to the original plan to the height of 220 feet, in 
addition to the sums already expended, at the sum of $55,- 
576.40 ; if the Monument is carried to the heiglit of 159 feet 
6 inches, then the sum required, in addition to that already 
laid out, will be 142,922.40 ; and if only 121 feet, in addition 
to that already laid out, will be required $28,967.36. 

B}' a reference to the same schedule, it will also appear that 
the estimates are the cost per foot of quarrying, dressing, 
transporting, laying, «fcc., and a sum for contingent expenses. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 275 

The amount of the estimate, divided by the number of square 
feet required, will give for the cost of each cubic foot laid in 
the work, including every contingent expense, not far from 
$1.30 per cubic foot. It will also be seen by reference 
to the printed statement of Mr. Willard, published in 1830, 
that according to the estimates made by him that the expense 
per cubic foot is but 89|- cents for the stone laid in the work. 
It will also be seen that if the amount of the work completed, 
say the number of cubic feet laid, divided into the amount of 
moneys expended, will leave a sum much larger than in the 
present estimate for contingencies, which contingencies in the 
opinion of your Committee is very satisfactorily accounted for ; 
and the greatest discrepancy of opinion between your Com- 
mittee and Mr. Willard is whether these or similar contingen- 
cies will again accrue. It is with extreme reluctance your 
Committee find themselves obliged to differ in opinion with 
one who has had so much better opportunity than themselves 
to form a correct judgment, than it is possible for them to 
have done of the nature of a work of this magnitude, and from 
one too who has done more than any other individual to for- 
ward this great work, and who by his professional skill and 
great assiduity has accomplished more with the same amount 
of money than any other individual could probably have done ; 
but for the reasons before stated your Committee felt them- 
selves bound to make such an estimate as in their opinion will 
cover the whole expense. 

George Darracoti'. 

John P. Thorndike. 

Nath. Hammond. 
Boston, January 15, 183 i. 

Mr. "Willard was naturally exceedingly vexed that 
the Committee should have added nearly fifty per 
cent to his ow^n estimate : he thought that no better 
test could be given than the actual results of what 
had been done. Mr. Darracott, however, made what 
amends he could at the annual meeting in 1834, bj 
stating " That for beauty of material, accuracy of 



276 HISTORY OF THE 

architectural design, and excellence of workmanship, 
no work in the world can be considered superior to 
this Monument, so far as it has gone on ; and that the 
work has been done for less money than it could again 
be done for, and that no credit is due to the sugges- 
tion that the work has cost more money than it ought 
to have cost; and also that the doing of this work so 
well, and for so little money, is to be attributed almost 
exclusively to Mr. Willard, who has not only devoted 
his time and eminent ability, but has actually contrib- 
uted one thousand dollai'S in money to building the 
Monument." 

Mr. Buckingham presented at the same meeting 
the following report of the Executive Committee, 
drawn up in his own concise and vigorous style: — 

Annual Report to the Members of the Bunker Hill Monument Association, 
at their Meeting, on the Anniversary of June 17, 1834:. 

Since the last anniversaiy, the Board of Directors have 
made every exertion in their power to advance the purposes 
of the Association. The general depression, arising from the 
state of the country, has been unfavorable to these exertions : 
there is little reason to doubt that, in the ordinary state of 
prosperity, the full amount of the subscriptions desired would 
have been obtained. Public occurrences have, however, had 
this beneficial effect, — they have turned the attention of the 
"whole people to the principles of the American Revolution ; 
and in this view Bunker Hill Monument holds a higher rank 
in the public esteem than ever. 

The Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association have 
persevered in their labors, and expect to raise a sufficient sum 
to complete the Monument to the elevation which the Di- 
rectors have agreed on. Tlie cost of doing this has been 
ascertained by an intelligent and careful Committee. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 277 

The only obstacle to going on with the work immediately, 
and finishing the Monument as soon as the work can be done, 
is the debt incurred for buying the battle-ground, in the hope 
that this ground might be kept open and sacred for ever. 
The Board of Directors have reluctantly come to the con- 
clusion that the ground must be sold, reserving a square of 
four hundred feet, with streets of fifty feet wide on the sides 
thereof. It was hoped that the land around the square, and 
the 127,000 feet not on the square, divided into shares of five 
hundred dollars, would sell for the sum of twenty-five thou- 
sand dollars. Such sale has not yet been eJffected, but it is 
hoped it will be. 

The land is supposed to be worth the money for which it 
is offered, and the interest upon that money, if the power 
to redeem should arise ; and if no redemption should occur, 
that the purchasers would be fully rej)aid in the land itself. 
There is anotlier resource : if the Monument be completed, 
the annual visitors may be computed at ten thousand in num- 
ber ; and, if each visitor (as is customary elsewhere, as to pub- 
lic works) should pay fifty cents, the Monument might pay 
for the land. 

On the whole, the Association and the public may be en- 
couraged that the Monument will be completed ; that, when 
completed, it will be an object of such proud exultation to 
this age, and to the whole country, tliat all who have aided 
to raise it will derive the highest gratification in that the 
work is done. It may hereafter be said of this Monument, 
with more propriety and more feeling than the Greeks were 
accustomed to speak of their statue of Olympian Jupiter, 
that " to have lived, and to have died, ivithout having seen it, was 
to have lived in vain^ 

Joseph T. Buckingham, 

Wm. Sullivan, 

John Skinnek, 

Ebenr. Breed, \ ^ . ^ . . 

^ T^ Executive Lommittee of 

George Darracott, r ? ?. rr ir 



Nathaniel Hammond, 
AVm. W. Stone, 
Joseph Jenkins, 
John P. Thorndike, 



the B. II. Monument. 



278 HISTORY OF THE 

It was determined that the Monument should be 
deemed completed as to any eiFort at the present 
thue, when raised to the height of one hundred 
and fifty-nine feet and six inches. The work was 
recommenced under the direction of Mr. Willard as 
architect, of Charles Welles, George Darracott, John 
P. Thorndike, the Building Committee, on June 
17, 1834, and was continued till JS^ovember, 1835, 
when it was again suspended for want of funds. 
The amount expended during this period was $20,- 
421.77, of which about f 16,000 was raised by sub- 
scription by the Mechanic Association, and the balance 
was the Ladies' Fund, and other money from the 
Treasury of the Monument Association. 

In 1836, Judge Prescott resigned his office as Presi- 
dent, and Mr. Edward G. Prescott as Secretary. Mr. 
Buckingham was elected President, Francis O. Watts 
Secretary, and G. Washington Warren was elected 
Director in the place of N^athan Tufts, deceased. 

The anniversary this year was marked by a very 
successful local celebration, under the auspices of the 
young men of Charlestown. Mr. Everett was then 
Governor of the Commonwealth, and resided in 
Charlestown, in the elegant mansion built and for- 
merly occupied by Mr. Seth Knowles, in Harvard 
Street. His official co-operation gave eclat to the 
occasion. His brother Alexander H. Everett was the 
orator, whose oration was afterwards extended, and 
published in the series of Sparks's Biography, under 
the title of the Life of Warren. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 279 

At the dinner which followed, reference was made 
by Colonels Robert C. Winthrop and John H. Clif- 
ford, of the Governor's staff, in their speeches, to the 
nnfinished Monument; and it was suggested that the 
young men who had got up so fine a celebration should 
make an organized effort for its completion. In 
response to this suggestion, it was then arranged that 
a public meeting should be called in a week from 
that day. 

At the meeting held June 24, in the Town Hall in 
Charlestown, Robert C. Winthrop, Albert Fearing, 
Charles H. Parker, Thomas J. Shelton, Charles G. 
Greene, Seth J. Thomas, Joshua Bates, James Dana, 
G. Washington Warren, and William Sawyer wei'e 
appointed a joint Committee, on the part of Boston 
and Charlestown, to communicate with other towns. 
Speeches were made by the four last named, and by 
William W. Wheildon. This Committee had several 
meetings, and prepared and forwarded their circulars 
to every postmaster in the State. 'No response was 
returned. Possibly some seed was scattered where it 
afterwards produced fruit. 

The money that was hired in 1827 and 1828, under 
the authority given by the Directors, to carry up the 
Monument to a respectable altitnde, the principal sum 
being $22,000, had in 1834 reached by the accumulation 
of interest to over $30,000. For this the five gentle- 
men who were jointly and severally responsible to the 
Suffolk Bank were notified that the Bank would look 
to them personally for immediate payment. Some of 



280 HISTORr OF THE 

them declared that it would be a great inconvenience 
and hardship to them to advance the money, and wait 
for repayment until the land could be sold. Dr. War- 
ren offered to give $500 to the Monument, to be re- 
leased from his liability. 

It was found necessary to make the land marketable, 
to reduce the reserved square in the northerly direc- 
tion from 600 to 417 feet. When this w^as duly au- 
thorized, a company of twenty-five gentlemen was 
formed, after a great effoi't, who together took, in differ- 
ent proportions, fifty shares at $500 a share, making 
$25,000, and all the land except the diminished square 
and the streets, to be made fifty feet wide, bounding 
upon it, was conveyed to Thomas B. Wales, William I. 
Bowditch, and William W. Stone, as trustees for the 
subscribers, with the condition that the Association 
should receive a reconveyance, at any time on or 
before June 17, 1837, on repaying the principal and 
interest, and all the taxes that might be levied. Mr. 
Lawrence paid to the Bank the difference between the 
sum raised and the debt due, which was over $5,000; 
he was not repaid until six years afterwards. 

A year before the term of redemption expired, the 
country had fallen into the lowest state of financial 
depression it had ever witnessed. This disastrous 
condition of affairs continued from the fall of 1836 to 
the spring of 1840. An attempt to obtain subscrip- 
tion for any public object, not demanding absolute 
and immediate relief, would have been utterly vain. 
The trustees, after waiting a year from the time that 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 281 

the right of redemption had expired, gave -notice that 
they should proceed to put the land in condition for 
public sale, unless it was at once redeemed. Hearing 
nothing in repl}^, they authorized Samuel M. Felton 
and George A. Parker, skilful engineers who had 
been trained in the office of Colonel Baldwin, to make 
the necessary contracts to grade the land. As soon 
as the contractors appeared on the old battle-field in 
force, and with their numerous workmen and teams 
commenced to strip the sod, and cart away the earth, 
a public pang was felt. It seemed as though the oft- 
repeated appeals of the Directors would now be 
listened to. In this stir of temporary emotion, the 
Directors, September 15, 1838, appointed ]N"athan 
Hale, George C. Shattuck, Samuel T. Armstrong, 
George Darracott, Francis J. Oliver, Ebenezer Breed, 
and Thomas Edmands a Committee to consider what 
could be done ; they arranged with the trustees 
for still another chance to redeem the land, by paying 
to the contractors $250 for the cost of suspension of 
work for thirty days. The Committee, by Mr. Hale, 
September 26, reported that, though the repurchase 
of the land would be desirable, if practicable con- 
sistently with a prospect of an early completion of the 
Monument, the attempt now to raise the $33,000 
asked would retard the more important object. Thus 
the effort to save so large a part of the battle-field 
was abandoned for ever. The ground east and west 
of the square was cut down from eight to twelve feet, 
and a portion of the earth was used to fill up the 
northern declivity. 

36 



282 HISTORY OF THE 

It is now well known that during all this time there 
was concealed in the will of Amos Lawrence a pro- 
vision to the amount of $50,000, for the redeeming of 
all the land from debt and the completion of the 
Monument. Fortunately for the credit of the country 
and for his own gratification, he lived several years 
after the Monument was finished by the work of many 
hands. It was a provision that he could not have 
executed in his lifetime on account of that dislike of 
even the appearance of ostentation in his deeds of 
munificence. To be pointed at as the man who finished 
the Bunker Hill Monument would have been too 
much honor for so modest a man to bear. Of a kin- 
dred sj^irit was General Theodore Lymai'^', one of 
the original associates and Directors. The delicate 
state of his health required him to withdraw in 1829; 
but, while seeking health, he was studying how best 
to promote one of the grandest works of beneficence. 
Not until his death, July 17, 1849, was it known that 
he was the giver, who kept even pace with the State, 
bestowing equal sums on the establishment and sup- 
port of the State Reform School. 

The only legacy that was ever realized was the 
handsome sum of $1,000, bequeathed by Nathan 
Tufts, of Charlestown, who had been a Director. 
The great London banker, Joshua Bates, a native 
of Massachusetts, sent $500 for the Monument. Mr. 
A. L. FoRESTiER, of Batavia, sent nearly $1,000, 
through his correspondent, Benjamin T. Reed. 

It was confidentially communicated to the Directors 
by Mr. William Appleton that, whenever the Associa- 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 283 



tion, ill addition to a like offer of Mr. Lawrence, shonld 
have money enough within f 10,000 to finish their 
work, Mr. Toiiro wonld give that sum. It was a 
noble ofter, and coming from a resident of a distant 
State, curiosity was excited. 

tTuDAH TouRO was born in Newport, Khode Island, 
in the year 1776, the year from which the birth of the 
country is dated. His father, Isaac Touro, was a 
native of Holland, but came to Newport to live, and 
married there. He was priest of the Synagogue, 
and for many years conducted the Jewish service there. 
In 1802, Judah Touro established himself in New 
Orleans, when it was a Spanish town of less than ten 
thousand inhabitants, having brought in the vessel in 
which he sailed from Boston an assortment of New 
England commodities, in the disposal of which he was 
quite successful. He continued to receive consign- 
ments from correspondents; and by an undeviating 
course of strict attention to business, engaging in no 
outside affairs, he soon acquired an honorable mercan- 
tile name and a competent fortune. His most intimate 
friend was Rezin D. Shepherd, a native of Yirginia, 
who settled in New Orleans about the same time, and 
became also a distinguished and a wealthy merchant. 
They were both engaged in the military defence of 
New Orleans in January, 1815, when attacked by the 
British army; and when Touro was wounded, and 
the surgeon had given him up for dead, Shepherd, 
foregoing at the time all other duties, gave his whole 
attention to restoring him to life, and did not leave 
him until he was removed to his home, and placed 
under the care of faithful nurses. 



284 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 

Shepherd and Toiiro became inseparable friends. 
For a long time they occupied the same dwelling. 
They became millionnaires together. 

Touro died on the 18th January, 1854, after lead- 
ing a long life of strict integrity and noble generosity. 
More than half of his great fortune he bequeathed to 
different charitable objects; he made his "dear, old, 
and devoted friend, Kezin Davis Shephei'd," one of 
his executors and residuary legatee. His last injunc- 
tion was, " When I am dead, carry me to the spot of 
my birth, and bury me by the side of my mother." 

A devoted friend, who knew and loved him well, 
concludes a just tribute to his memory in the follow- 
ing words : " He was one of that smallest of all the 
classes into which mankind can be divided, — of men 
who accumulate wealth without even doing a wrong, 
taking an advantage, or making an enemy; who be- 
come rich without being avaricious; who deny them- 
selves the comforts and enjoyments of life, that they 
may acquire the means of promoting the comfort and 
elevating the condition of their fellow-men." 

That so many rich donations should at last flow so 
unexpectedly as the spontaneous oflterings of noble 
and ingenuous hearts seemed almost to comj^ensate 
for the long delay of the great work. But the Monu- 
ment must still pause in its course, and, as it were, 
hug the ground, until the inspiring influence and 
delicate hands of the gentler sex shall help to raise it 
to the skies, whither Heaven-ward their jDurer spiiits 
lead the way. 




.^y-S*!''--;'^ 




^/^<^^>i^^. /ifjz.£.e^ 



FROM/ PHOTOGI^APH T/\l\EI\f_/T ThjE/GE OF 83 . 



CHAPTER Xril. 

Next to God we are indebted to women, — first for life itself, and then 
for making life worth having. 

OARAH JOSEPHA HALE has the honor of 
*^ being the. first wlio snggested to the pnblic the 
co-operation of women in the building of the Bunker 
Hill Monument. In the " Ladies' Magazine," which was 
published and edited by her in Boston, she inserted a 
series of articles from her own pen upon the subject. 
The first article appeared in February, 1830, upon the 
worth of money, in which she insisted that the pursuit 
of money should not be inculcated on the young nor 
followed by the old, as the great end and aim of life; 
that the familiar maxim " Time is money " is a per- 
nicious one, — it should rather be said " Time is the 
opportunity of doing good; " and she asked why the 
free joeople of our Republic should not " endeavor to 
shake off the dominion of selfishness, and make the 
object of their ambition, moral and mental excellence, 
rather than wealth." Her plan of co-operation was 
unfolded in the following extract, commencing with 
an allusion to the scheme of a lottery, then deemed 
by many the last resource of the Association: — 

But the success of the petition is -very doubtful, and indeed 
hardly to be desired. When we consider the grand event 



286 HISTORY OF THE 

which the Monument is designed to commemorate, the en- 
thusiasm, the patriotic ardor and display, with which it was 
commenced, does it not seem humiliating, even degrading to 
the character of the State, that it cannot be finished unless 
an appeal be made to the avarice and gambling propensities 
of the people, which all good and wise men regret are ever 
permitted to operate ? 

Impressed with the importance of this subject, and think- 
ing the crisis one in which the ladies may, without any in- 
fringement of that feminine propriety which they should 
scrupulously retain when coming before the public, offer their 
assistance, we would seriously suggest that an attempt be 
made by the women of Massachusetts (or of all New Eng- 
land, if that be thought best) to raise by their own exertions 
the sum of fifty thousand dollars, to be appropriated to the 
finishing of the Bunker Hill Monument. 

It should be distinctly understood that the offering is ex- 
pected to be, in effect as well as pretension, solely from the 
ladies. Neither husbands, fathers, or brothers are to be im- 
portuned for the money which is to be given. This must be 
obtained by the industry, economy, or self-denial of those 
who offer it. Are there not hundreds of ladies in this city 
who might spare for one year largely from the sum allotted 
for ornaments, and yet be sufficiently adorned ? Are there 
not thousands of ladies in this rich State who would be 
willing to make an exertion in so noble a cause ? 

We would have none allowed to subscribe save females, 
and children of both sexes under the age of twelve years. 
What an opportunit}^ would then be jDresented to mothers, 
to awaken in their children's hearts the love of countr}^, of 
social order, and the refined enjoyment of doing good ; and 
to imprint on their souls the deeds and virtues of those 
worthy men whose names should be held by Americans in 
everlasting remembrance ! 

After referring to the example of the Koman women 
who gave up their golden ornaments to pay the ran- 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 287 

som of their ca23tnred city, the article conchicles with 
the opinion that " those who resolve to aid the plan 
will feel, in the ennobling sentiments awakened by such 
a resolution, that the true value of money is to use it 
for purposes that purify the affections, improve the 
intellect, and strengthen and exalt the best feelings 
of our nature." In a subsequent article in the same 
magazine, Mrs. Hale cited the example of the women 
of Israel, who brought their bracelets and ear-rings 
and jewels of gold as offerings to their leader in the 
building of the tabernacle, and of " the wise-hearted 
women who spun with their hands, and brought that 
which they had spun, both of blue and of purple and 
of scarlet and fine linen," as is recorded in the thirty- 
fifth chapter of Exodus. 

The muse of poesy also joined with her inspiration. 
"The Last of the Band," written by Mrs. Hale, 
rej^resenting the character of the last survivor of the 
brave soldiers of the Battle of Bunker Hill, appeared 
in her magazine in April, 1830. 

Here are the first and the concluding stanzas of the 
poem, which bore appropriately the Roman signature 
of Cornelia: — 

Yes, here is still the Mountain Grave; — 
But wliere's the Pile they said would rise, 

Throwing- its shadow o'er the wave, — 
Lifting its forehead to the skies, — 

A Beacon far o'er land and sea, 

Signal and Seal of Liberty? 



They're gone — those old men all are gone ! 
Like autumn's latest leaves they passed; 



288 HISTORY OF THE 

Last of the Band, I am alone, 

Quivering in age's winter blast; — 
But ere I mingle with the dust, 
Shall I not see my country just? 

Mrs. L. H. Sigourney, the gifted poetess of Hart- 
ford, of world-wide fame, also communicated to the 
magazine anonymously — lest her husband might not 
like her co-operation — her sublime poem entitled 
" The Obelisk," the grand concluding lines of which 
form the appropriate motto of Chapter VIII. 

Before any of these communications appeared, Mrs. 
Hale made an offer of her services to the Association, 
and received the following oflScial reply : — 

Brinley Place, Roxbury, 
Jan. 28, 1830. 

MucH-KESPECTED Madam, — Yoiir vGiy interesting com- 
munication to Benjamin V. French, Esq., has been laid before 
the Building Committee of the Bunker Hill Monument As- 
sociation ; and, in accordance with the pleasant duty assigned 
me of announcing the favorable opinion which is entertained 
of your commendable profer of services, I have the honor of 
transmitting the following transcript from its records : — 

" At a meeting of the Building Committee on the 27th of 
January, 1830, the Chairman read a letter from Mrs. Sarah 
J. Hale, proposing to use her influence with the ladies of 
New England to raise a portion of the fund required for 
completing the Bunker Hill Monument. 

" Voted, That the Chairman be requested to tender the 
thanks of the Committee, in behalf of the Directors, to Mrs. 
Hale, for hei' generous and patriotic offer, and to assure her 
that her plan for aiding the Association, in finishing the 
obelisk on the heights of Charlestown, not only meets their 
entire and cordial approbation, but merits the gratitude of 
every citizen of the United States." 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 289 

Guided, Madam, by your beneficent precepts and cheering 
example, the Mothers and Daughters of New England 
will emulate that ardent love of country, for which those of 
Carthage were distinguished, by offering up their jewels on 
the altar of patriotism ; not to furnish forth the armaments of 
war, but to do honor to the names of those gallant citizens, 
who, in braving its dangers, achieved the Independence of 
the Republic. 

They are not called upon, in the moment of invasion and 
disma}^, to present the soldiers of the mustering phalanx 
with the buckler and the lance, but to perform the holy 
office of commemorating valor on the field of its glory, — 
of planting the flowers of immortality on the long-neglected 
graves of their illustrious ancestors, of rearing a mausoleum 
over the consecrated ashes of the heroes of the Revolution. 

With the highest consideration and unfeigned respect, I 
have the honor to be, Madam, your most obedient servant, 

H. A. S. Dearborn, 

Chairman of the Buildincj Com. B. H. M. A. 
Mrs. Sarah J. Hale. 

This eftbrt was condemned by some, because the 
women were " stepping* out of their sphere," and by 
others who asserted that whatever the women might 
contribute would come out of the men, and in most 
cases, perhaps, out of those who had already given to 
the same cause. To the first class of objectors, it was 
replied that it was highly becoming in women to ap- 
preciate the sacrifices of the fathers of the Revolution, 
who themselves received the sympathy, and even the 
participation in those sacrifices, of their wives and 
daughters ; and the second class were answered that, 
inasmuch as the subscription was limited to one dol- 
lar, and the smallest sum below that was received, it 

37 



290 HISTORY OF THE 

could hardly be supposed that any woman, or child 
even, would be unable to spare something from the 
means which they had at their own disposal. 

At a meeting of the Directors, on the 6th April, 
1830, the following preamble and resolutions were 
unanimously adopted : — 

The Directors of the Bunker Hill Monument Association 
having learned with great pleasure that " a number of ladies 
of Boston had formed a society with the intention of raising, 
by voluntary subscription, a sum of money to be appropriated 
towards completing the Bunker Hill Monument," and that 
they have in an eloquent appeal invited the co-operation of 
the ladies of New England in the same design, therefore, 

1. Resolved^ That this commendable effort, in aid of the 
great and interesting object for which the Bunker Hill Monu- 
ment Association was instituted, merits the grateful acknowl- 
edgment of the Directors ; that they highly appreciate the 
exalted motives by which those patriotic ladies are actuated, 
the generous zeal they have evinced to participate in com- 
memorating the early events of the Revolution, in doing 
honor to the names of their gallant countrymen, who, in the 
cause of freedom, fell on the heights of Charlestown, and in 
perpetuating the names and deeds of the illustrious founders 
of the independence, prosperity, and glory of the Republic. 

2. Resolved^ That whatever sum of money may be obtained 
by the ladies of New England, and transmitted to the Treas- 
urer of the Bunker Hill Monument Association, shall be con- 
sidered SACRED, and applied to the sole purpose of com- 
pleting THE Monument ; that no part of said fund shall be 
appropriated for any other purpose than for prosecuting the 
work on the Monument as aforesaid. 

3. Resolved^ That a copy of the proceedings of this meeting 
be signed by the President and Secretary, and transmitted to 
the Corresponding Committee of the Society of Ladies, who 
have associated to collect funds for completing the obelisk. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMEJ^T ASSOCIATION. 291 

4. Resolved^ That tlie proceedings of this meeting be pub- 
lished. 

Amos Laweence, 2d Vice-President. 

H, A. S. Dearborn, Secretary. 

The following circular was issued to every town : — 

To the Women of New England. 

A number of ladies in Boston having formed a society with 
the intention of raising, by a voluntary subscription in this 
city, a sum of money, to be appropriated towards finishing 
the Monument on Bunker Hill, respectfully invite the co- 
operation of the ladies of New England in the same design. 

The objects for which the Monument was projected, and 
the circumstances under which it was begun, seem to pledge 
the character of the people that it shall be completed ; and, 
as the want of funds resulting from the general depression of 
business has for some time past suspended its progress, we 
deem it a proper occasion to bring in our offering, — the 
offering of industry, economy, or self-denial, as an aid in for- 
warding the work. 

Another reason which marks the present time as peculiarly 
suitable for a contribution of this description is that it will 
be twice blessed. The money given will be a charity by fur- 
nishing employment for industrious laborers, as well as an 
aid in finishing a Monument to the memory of those pious 
patriots who, by perils and sacrifices, secured to us the peace- 
able enjoyment of our civil and religious privileges. We trust 
that none of our sex will be indifferent to these considerations. 
The subscription is confined to females ; but children of 
both sexes are permitted to contribute, and the smallest sums 
given by them will be acknowledged. This regulation is 
adopted in the belief that a happy opportunity will thus 
be presented for mothers to impress on the hearts of their 
children the remembrance of that great event to which, as 
free Republicans, we should ever look back with feelings of 
fervent u'ratitude towards those who labored to secure oiir 



292 ■ HISTORY OF THE 

independence and liberty, and with reverence and love to- 
wards the God in whom our fathers trusted, who crowned 
their efforts with success, and gave us the rich blessings 
which distinguish our land. Hoping, as we do, that the 
women throughout New England will feel interested in this 
plan of beneficence, the subscription is limited to one dollar. 
No one is invited to subscribe a larger sum, and smaller 
sums will be thankfully accepted. Donations to any amount 
will be received, and the names of the donoi^s recorded. 

Should any lady, being a native of New England, though 
now residing in some other part of the countrj^, wish to con- 
tribute, her donation will be gratefulh^ acknowledged. 

The ladies in the various towns and villages of Massachu- 
setts, and in all cities, towns, and villages of the other New 
England States, are invited to form societies in their respec- 
tive towns, for the purpose of co-operating in this undertak- 
ing. After collecting the offerings that may be made, they 
will please to remit the amount to Nathaniel P. Russell, Esq., 
Treasurer of the Bunker Hill Monument Association. 

Mrs. Caleb Loring, Mrs. Abbott Lawrknck, 

,, J. G. Palfrey, ,, A. H. Everett, 

,, John Pierpont, ,, J. B. Davis, 

,, S. L. Blake, ,, David L. Child, 

,, Sarah J. Hale, ,, Nathan Hale, 

Committee of Correspondaice. 
Mrs, E. TuCKERMAN, Treasure?'. 

The following card appeared in the city papers : — 

A Card. — To the Ladies of Boston. 

In consequence of repeated suggestions, from ladies whose 
opinions we think judicious, that there should be, in the city, 
places of deposit, where offerings for the Bunker Hill Monu- 
ment may be left, — the Committee of Correspondence would 
respectfully state that donations and subscriptions will be re- 
ceived by 

Mrs. E. TucKEKMAN, Beacon Street, and 
Miss PuTMAN, 14 Summer Street. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 293 

The Committee of Ladies trust that the approval of the 
Directors of the Bunker Hill Monument Association, and the 
cordial co-operation which the ladies in the countrj- seem 
willing to give the plan, will induce every lady of Boston, 
who has it in her jDOwer, to contribute. It is calculated that 
sixteen thoumnd dollars will finish the Monument. 

Printers in this city will confer a favor by inserting this 
card in their respective papers. 

Although the sum collected in 1830, in answer to 
the admirable circular address written by Mrs. Hale, 
was, in one sense, insignificant, considering the high 
mark aimed at; yet the offerings came from more 
than three thousand women and children, who opened 
their hearts to the appeal. The public impression 
then made told ten years after. 

Mrs. Hale in her last article thus reviewed the 
result : — 

Even the few and feeble efforts we have been able to make, 
to engage our sex and the public in the completion of the 
Monument, will have a salutary effect : the community will, 
at least, call these things to mind ; and we do not believe 
that, to an American heart, the battle of Bunker Hill can be 
an uninteresting subject, unless that heart is trifling or self- 
ish, blinded by sophistry, or narrowed b}^ prejudice. 

Were the Monument completed, and the ground beautified, 
as miglit easily be clone, would it not be a privilege to go from 
the dust and din of the city, and breathe the free air of that 
glorious elevation, and look abroad on the sublime and lovely 
prospect? Would not every Christian feel his gratitude to 
Heaven more deep and fervent, while reflecting how God 
blessed the small beginnings of our people, till they had 
become a mighty nation ? Would not the patriot be incited 
to more disinterested exertions for his country, while stand- 
ing on the spot where Warren fell ? The obelisk will not be 



294 HISTORY OF THE 

the trophy of a victory ; — for our troops were defeated. It 
will not excite tlie soldier to battle ; but it will nerve the 
good man to perform his duty, even unto death. Such is the 
only lesson the Monument will teach. 

At the annual meeting, held June 17, 1839, Leverett 
Saltonstall was elected a Yice-President in place of 
Samuel T. Armstrong, and G. Washington Warren 
was elected Secretary in place of Francis O. Watts. 
This meeting was adjourned for further action to the 
evening of July 1, when, on motion of William W. 
Stone, it was 

Voted, That the Directors be requested to take measures to 
raise funds sufficient to complete the Monument, pay off the 
debt, and to grade and enclose the square with a suitable 
fence ; it being the opinion of this meeting that, with proper 
efforts, the necessary means for these objects may be raised at 
the present time. 

A meeting of the Directors was held July 9, at 
which a committee was appointed in pursuance of the 
request of the Corporation. As to their doings, Presi- 
dent Buckingham presented a desponding report at 
the annual meeting, June 17, 1840. He stated that 
the Directors under the preceding vote appointed the 
President, Thomas B. Curtis, Kobei't G. Shaw, Wil- 
liam W. Stone, and such other gentlemen as they 
might ask to join them, to raise funds for completing 
the Monument; that they invited thirty gentlemen to 
unite with them, to whom it was stated that two 
gentlemen were willing to contribute ten thousand 
dollars each; and that only twenty thousand dollars 
more was wanted. It was suggested at the time of 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 295 

their meeting that the season of the year was nnpro- 
pitious, that many of our most wealthy citizens were 
absent, — the same old story as now, — and it Avas 
voted to postpone action till the autumn. In the 
autumn, some of the Committee suggested that a Fair 
might produce a very considerable sum in aid of the 
funds; but for various reasons it was thought impracti- 
cable at that time. That it was extremely difficult to 
find gentlemen willing to engage in the irksome and 
unpleasant employment of soliciting subscriptions. 
" Under all these circumstances," the report dolefully 
concludes, " it must be confessed that it is extremely 
doubtful whether the present generation will have the 
pleasure to see the Monument completed." But the 
gloom which overhung the Association was like the 
last thick cloud before the clearing up of the sky. 

A meeting of the Directors was held eight days 
afterwards at their usual place, the Room of the 
American Academy of Arts and Sciences, No. 50 
State Street. The Secretary proj)osed the following 
vote: "That the President and Secretar}^, with such 
other members of the Corporation as may be willing to 
co-operate with them in the effort, be authorized and 
requested to solicit and receive subscriptions, and 
obtain sums by Fairs or other projects in aid of the 
completion of the great object of the Corporation, and 
that these gentlemen have power to adopt such meas- 
ures as they may deem expedient in making this final 
APPEAL to the people." 

The Secretary stated, in supj^ort of his motion, that 



296 HISTORY OF THE 

he understood that it was the opinion of several ladies 
of Boston that a successful Fair might be held in the 
latter part of that season, and he had the personal as- 
surance of several in Charlestown that they would 
heartily enter into the work, and would seek to enlist 
the assistance of the ladies in the neighboring towns 
of Middlesex County; that, if the Directors would 
only authorize the undertaking, there was scarcely a 
doubt of a triumphant success. Some thought the 
proceeding premature, and that the means proposed 
were not adequate to obtain the desired result. - Two 
or three thousand dollars was as much as had ever 
before been reaHzed from a Fair in Boston; and, as for 
subscriptions, it was utterly vain to attempt them. 
After an animated discussion, the objections were with- 
drawn, and the vote was passed unanimously. 

A large Committee was soon enlisted. - Mrs. Hale, 
who still resided in Boston, was applied to, and she, 
with five other ladies, — Mrs. Jonathan Chapman, wife 
of the then Mayor of Boston, Mrs. Wilham H. Pres- 
cott, Mrs. John C. Warren, Mrs. George Darracott, 
and Mrs. Thomas B. Wales, — constituted the Exec- 
utive Committee of the Ladies to organize the Fair. 
As soon as they published the word, the hearts of the 
women of the country were interested in the cause. 
The young sought to rival the expertness of the aged; 
delicate hands that rarely worked, — and then in orna- 
mental finery, — joined with those which daily toiled; 
those who plied the crochet in worsted of various 
colors with those who knit the stocking; those skilled 
in embroidered work, and those practised in plain 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 297 

sewing, — all combined to make something useful or 
attractive, that could be sold for the purpose of build- 
ing the Monument. That Avas a glorious busy sum- 
mer in 1840. Every lady, young or old, was then asked. 
What are you doing for the Fair? The sex rose higher 
in the public thought, for they were raising, by gener- 
ous concerted action, a monument of their own innate 
capacity for good as well.^ 

So prompt and general was the response, that in 
just one month from the passing of the vote to author- 
ize the Fair, on July 25, 1840, at a meeting of the 
Directors, unusually well attended, Charles Wells, 
George Dari'acott, and John P. Thorndike were ap- 
pointed a Committee to receive proj^osals for finishing 
the Monument agreeably to the plan of the Corpora- 
tion. The President reported that, under that vote, 
a large Committee had associated themselves with 
him and the Secretary, and that extensive arrange- 
ments were made to hold a Fair during the second 
week of September next, and to adopt other measures 
in aid of the great object of the Association. 

The reason for selecting this time was that, on the 
tenth of September of that week, a Whig mass con- 
vention was called to be held on Bunker Hill, which 
w^ould draw a large concourse of the people. It was 
the year of a Presidential election. President Yan 
Buren's administration had to bear the blame for all 
the financial misfortunes and the business adversities 
of the times. The government had undertaken to 
keep the national revenues in its own sub-treasuries, 
and no longer deposit them in the selected State Banks, 

38 



298 HISTORY OF THE 

where they could be used as a basis of credit for the 
trading and speculating classes. To this, and to the 
low tariflP, was attributed the depressed condition of 
all business enterprises. But party lines then happily 
ran through every State, and each State gave its vote 
sometimes to one party and sometimes to another; 
thus, nearly even balanced in all the States, the parties 
and the people composing them knew no sectional 
lines of division. 

The Fair opened in Qnincy Hall, which is opposite 
to Faneuil Hall, on Tuesday, the eighth day of the 
month, and lasted seven days. The Hall was 382 
feet long, and 47 feet wide. For the entrance a 
temporary stair-way was erected in the street, where 
was also built a ticket-office; the passage out being 
by the usual entrance at the other end. The tables 
were tastefully arranged along the sides; and in the 
space called the Rotunda, which is two feet wider, 
there were circular tables, arranged in the centre 
around an exact model of the completed Monument 
built on the scale of one inch to the foot, which were 
furnished by the ladies of Charlestown. There were 
forty-three tables, stored with a great abundance and 
variety of things to please the eye, to adorn the house 
or person, or to supply the common wants of life. 
The coujp cVceil at the entrance was enchanting, not 
alone in the display of objects evincing great skill and 
industry, and in the tasteful ornamentation of the 
w^alls and tables, but in that indescribable grace and 
attractiveness of the active forms and sparkling coun- 



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BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 299 

tenances of those attending them, — their comely per- 
sons not gandily overdressed, then* nngloved hands 
showing winningly the desired articles, and with 
every diversity of form, featnre, and carriage, still 
the same uniform expression beaming from everj^ 
face, of patriotic feeling and of sympathy with the 
canse which bronght them all together. 

The excellent order, and the smooth and pleasant 
working of the Fair, were entirely owing to the high 
and honorable character of the ladies Avho managed 
and conducted it, and to the right start they took at 
the opening. They had the wisdom to adopt, and 
seasonably promulgate, the following: — 

Regulations of the Bxmker Hill Monument Fair. 

As complaints had often been made of the manner in i^hich sales at 
Fairs were effected, the ladies who have the care of the tables at this Fair 
agreed to observe the following regulations : — 

1st. Each lady will endeavor that the articles on her table 
shall be good of their kind, and at fair prices. 

2d. Change shall be given to purchasers as readily as 
though we were literally beJmid the counter; nor shall our 
desire for the completion of the Monument induce us to use im- 
portunity, or any other means of increasing our funds incon- 
sistent with the respect we owe ourselves, and the cause in 
which we are engaged. 

3d. The confectionery shall be sold at the same price as at 
the shops. 

4th. There shall be no raffles, nor articles put up in any 
way to be drawn by chances. 

5th. We Avill have no party emblems, nor any device con- 
nected with local politics. 

6th. There shall be no Post-Office except the general one, 
which is for the dutributinr/, not the receiving of letters, and 
is entirely under the control of the superintendents. 



300 HISTORY OF THE 

7th. Two marshals shall be appointed to each table by its 
saperintencleuts. 

8th. No lady assisting at a table shall be on the outside of 
it, and none but its attendants, except on some special oc- 
casion, allowed to be behind it. 

9th. Each ladj^ will consider herself responsible for the 
order and decorum of her table. 

Note. — It was farther agreed that no season tickets should be issued; 
and, as the object was to make as much money as could honorably be done, 
the /;-ee passes were limited to those whose services were actually required 
in the Hall. The jsrice of admission, after the first day, is twenty-Jife 
cents. 

The first day of the Fair was for exhibition merel}'^, 
on which day double price was asked. Four thousand 
persons gladly paid their half-dollar to enjoy the fresh 
first view. There was a daily issue of a neatly printed 
paper, entitled " The Monument," edited by Mrs. Hale, 
and printed in the Hall by S. IN". Dickinson, on his 
rotary power press. It contained twelve columns of 
interesting reading, including appropriate local adver- 
tisements. Among the contributors were Mrs. Sigour- 
ney, who reproduced "The Obelisk" under her own 
well-known initials, and Miss H. F. Gould, another 
gifted poetess. 

The post-office was indeed a fairy institution, to 
which the males chiefly resorted. It was in chai'ge of 
the intellectual editress of the leading evening paper of 
the city, and it was constantly supplied. One had 
but to give his name in full, and sure enough there 
was an excellent letter in waiting for him, proj^erly 
addressed, for which he had to pay twentj^-five cents 
postage, as it had come all the waj^ to Boston from 
Fairyland. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 301 

Although the tenth of September brought to Boston 
from every part of Massachusetts, and from other 
States, large numbers of persons, all partaking of the 
political excitement of the time, the banishment of 
party emblems and devices from the Hall kept the Fair 
perfectly agreeable to eveiy one, and woman's influ- 
ence served to allay all political animosity. The over- 
crowded hotels not being sufiicient to accommodate 
the visitors, the houses of Whigs and Democrats were 
alike thrown open to hospitality. Mr. Webster was 
President of the Whig convention, and marched on 
foot at the head of the immense procession, with all 
the leading statesmen of the party, throughout the 
long route. Franklin Dexter was marshal of the great 
and unique procession. On arriving at Bunker Hill, 
at the place appointed for the mass meeting, it was 
j^roposed to ask for a contribution from each one in the 
long procession of one dollar, or any smaller sijm, for 
the completion of the Monument. In this way, it was 
thought a large amount might be secured for the 
object in the name of the Whigs. But Mr. Webster 
replied that he did not deem it in the line of his duty 
as a Whig to proj^ose it: he thought that the Bunker 
Hill Monument ought not to be associated with any 
party, and that the convention should do nothing 
to take from the ladies the credit that was due to 
them. 

The delegation from Louisiana, however, in their 
capacity as citizens of that State, purchased at the 
Charlestown table the fine model of the Monument 
which adorned it, and they caused it to be transported 



302 HISTORY OF THE 

to 'New Orleans, and to be placed in one of the public 
buildings in honor of Judah Touro, where it remained 
until it was destroyed with the building by fire. 

The distinguished gentlemen from the South and 
West, who came to attend the Whig convention, visited 
the Fair, many of whom enrolled their names in the 
subscription book kept by Mrs. Paige, and received 
from her a handsomely engraved certificate of theii' 
contributions; this book is preserved by the Associa- 
tion. During the evenings the Brigade Band was in 
attendance, and discoursed the finest music of the 
time. Thus day and evening there was every variety 
of attraction, and there was a constant feeling and a 
glow of satisfaction, displayed in the countenances of 
all, showing their happy belief that the great object 
was now indeed about to be accomplished. 

Before the result of the fair Avas officially reported, 
the Directors entei-ed into a contract with James 
Sullivan Savage for the completion of the Monument 
to its full original height of 220 feet, for the sum of 
$43,800, the top to be finished according to a plan 
di-awn by Mr. Willard, and the whole work to be done 
under his direction as architect. Charles Wells, George 
Darracott, John P. Thorndike, and Charles Leighton 
were appointed the Building Committee. The con- 
tract system was resorted to in deference to public opin- 
ion, as it seemed to be the general wish that the com- 
pletion of the Monument should be made a certainty b}'^ 
a contract with responsible parties for a certain sum, 
within the amount of receipts. If Mr. Willard's esti- 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 303 

mates, based upon the two former experiments in 
bnilding, had been rehed on, and the work had been 
continued by day labor under his direction, the j^rofit 
realized by the contractor might have been saved to 
the Association. Undoubtedly, the best and most 
economical method of executing public or private 
works is by honest day labor, under competent and 
fiiithful supervision, like that of a Baldwin or a 
Willard. 

The articles of agreement, embracing the contract, 
and containing man}^ details, were prepared by John 
E,. Adan, Esq., who rendered his services gratuitously. 
They were signed on the fourth day of i^ovembei", 
1840, and in less than twenty-one months were ful- 
filled by Mr. Savage to the letter. Charles Wells, 
the Chairman of the Buildiug Committee, visited the 
Hill every working day during the time, and the other 
members were frequently there. The only difference 
in the performance of the work — showing, too, the 
progress of the age during the few yeai's since the 
last suspension — was the introduction of the Steam 
Engine, Avhich displaced the horse-power formerly 
used in the hoisting. It was a novel sight to behold 
the immense blocks of stone gracefully moving up- 
ward to their places, propelled by that mysterious and 
newly adopted force. By the aid of steam, the period 
of the construction was materially shortened. 

When the obelisk reached the upper course of its 
pyramidal form, a general desire was expressed that 
some alteration should be made in the construction of 



304 HISTORY OF THE 

the apex, so that the visitor might safely come out on 
the top and enjoy the grand panoramic view of kind, 
sea, and sky. A meeting of the Directors was called 
by the President July 5, 1842, to consider the sug- 
gestion; but after a full discussion it was unanimously 
voted, " as the sense of this Board, that the Monument 
be finished in accordance with the plan of Mr. Wil- 
lard, the architect." 

In a little over two years from the first suggestion 
of the Fair, the Secretary had the satisfaction to enter 
on the records of the Association : " On Saturday, July 
23, 1842, at six o'clock in the morning, pursuant to 
public notice, the Directors and several hundred citi- 
zens assembled on Bunker Hill to witness the laying 
on of the top-stone upon the Monument. As the 
clock struck six, a signal gun was fired by the mem- 
bers of the Charlestown Artillery, and the cap-stone, 
which had been previously adjusted to the hoisting 
apparatus connected with the steam-engine, imme- 
diately began to ascend. It was surmounted by the 
American flag. In sixteen minutes, the cap-stone 
reached the place of its destination on the top of the 
Monument. At half-past six, it was embedded in 
cement, and a national salute fired b}^ the Charlestown 
artillerj^ announced the complete erection of the Monu- 
ment." Colonel Charles R. Carnes of Charlestown 
went up with the flag on the cap-stone, and stood 
upon it, until it was put in place, Avlien he was let 
down by the rope. 

Returning now to the beneficent cause which made 
possible this glad event, the following was found to 
be the result in detail of the Ladies' Fair. It should 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 305 

be understood that the ladies in charge of the several 

tables paid their own expenses, and returned the net 

amount, and the general expenses were only paid by 
the Committee: — 

RECEIPTS. 

Boston. Mrs. J. C. Warren, Mrs. W. Appleton, Mrs. Rol- 
lins, Mrs. Mills 11,647.36 

Charlestown. Mrs. Hurd and Mrs. WaUier 1,546.37 

Boston. Mrs. Prescott, Mrs. F. Dexter, Mrs. W. H. Eliot, 

Miss Gardiner 1,321.45 

,, Mrs. Bradlee, Mrs Miles, Miss Lodge, and Miss 

Wales 1,200.00 

Picture presented by Sully, sold at above table 100.00 

Boston. Mrs. Paige, certificates of membership .... 1,233.50 

Worcester. Mrs. John Davis 1,219.08 

Salem. Mrs. F. Peabody and Mrs. G. Peabody .... 1,109.18 

Medford. Mrs Angier and Mrs. Hall 606.00 

New Bedford. Mrs. W. T. Russell, Mrs. Colby 560.00 

Boston. Mrs. Hale, Printing office and table 556.00 

,, Miss Walter, Post-office 552.25 

,, Mrs. Fearing, Mrs Emmons, Mrs. Chapman, Miss 

Putnam 541.93 

Taunton. Table and Fate Lady 512.00 

Boston. Mrs. Frothingham and Mrs. Howe 505.00 

Mrs. Jos. Hall 435.00 

Roxbury. Mrs. Lang 411.56 

Nantucket. Mrs. Tuck 400.42^ 

Piano-forte, presented by Chickering and Mackay .... 400.00 

Boston. Mrs. Horton, confectionery 381.35 

Norwich, Conn. Mrs. Rockwell 368.25 

Boston. Mrs. Loring, confectionery 362.02 

Boston. Mrs. Darracott and Mrs. Clark 340.00 

Old Cambridge. Miss Davis 337.50 

Jamaica Plain. Mrs. Prince 325.12^ 

Waltham. Mrs. Hobbs 300.00 

Boston. Mrs. Turner 300.00 

Lowell 282.00^ 

Boston. Mrs. Wheelwright and Miss Russell 277.12^ 

Mrs. Prentice 275.00 

Mrs. E. H. Derby 272.62 

Maiden. jMrs. Noyes 271.78 

$18,949.88 
39 



306 HISTORY OF THE 

Amount brought forward <$18,949.88 

Northampton 261.581 

Cambridgeport 250.00 

Lynn. Mrs. Barker 209.861 

Boston. Mrs. Greene 201.00 

Mrs. Bradlee and Miss Wentworth 200.00 

Mrs. Beals 182.00 

Beverley. Mrs. Lovett 166.871 

East Cambridge. Mrs. Wads worth 150.00 

Boston. Mrs. Gardiner and Miss Snelling (confectionery) 126.04 

,, Mrs. Parker and Miss Francis, books .... 114.93 

Mrs. Kendall and Mrs. A. Dexter 100.00 

Mrs. Ewer and Miss Dorr 100.00 

Female Orphan Asylum 100.00 

Books of Charades (sold since the Fair), written and pre- 
sented by Mrs. Gould and Sisters 50.00 

Jennie Deans, made and exhibited by Mrs. Riddell, New 

Bedford 50.00 

Received previous to Fair from towns and individuals . . 376.00 

,, during ,, ,, societies and individuals 1,531.22 

,, from sale of tickets of admission 9,885.34 

,, ,, picture presented by Miss Martha Rob- 
bins, sold by Miss Putnam . . . 25.00 
,, ,, ai'ticles since the Fair 37.25 

$33,066,981 

Expended since the Fair towards purchasing tables ^230.00 

,, for books, toys, medals, and engravings 

distributed to all the tables .... 498.20 

,, for the Fair, viz. : — 

Cleansing and repairing Hall 21.41 

Boards and joists 446.80 

Paintings and decorations 449.23 

Drayage and porterage 12.53 

Furniture 16.28 

Lighting 177.03 

Police and watch 294.50 

Attendants 122.24 

Printing and stationery 64.50 

Advertising 07.95 

Carriage hire 10.50 

Music 273.00 

Ladies' Refreshment Room 324.42 

Discount on foreign money and counterfeit . . . 22.86^ $3,031.45^ 

$30,035.53 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 307 

It would appear by the following letter from the 
artist Sully to a lady of Charlestown that his picture he 
intended for her to place at the Charlestown table: — 

Miss Caroline Etiieridge. 

My deak Friend, — While deliberating to whom I should 
consign a picture, I had made up my mind to present to the 
Bunker Hill Monument Fair, Sally informed me that you had 
taken an active interest in that praiseworthy business. I 
gladly, therefore, send the picture to you, that it may be 
presented, in the way you think fit, to the intended Fair. It 
is a copy from Rembrandt's Peasant Girl, and is valued 

at $150. 

Very sincerely your friend, 

Thos. Sully. 

Miss Caroline Etheridge, care of the Executke Committee of the Fair, 
for the benefit of the Bunker Hill Monument, Boston, Mass. 

Miss Mary Otis, the Treasurer of the Bunker Hill 
Monument Fair, paid over to Mr. Russell, the Treas- 
urer of the Association, $30,035.53, — a larger sum by 
far than had ever before been realized in the country 
by any similar efforts. In connection with Miss Otis' 
report, the Ladies' Committee say: — 

That this report has been delayed to a period, which has 
seemed to many to be unreasonably long, will hardly surprise 
those who consider that it could not be given till returns had 
been made from forty-three taljles ; and that many of these 
were kept back for the purpose of making sale of articles 
which remained after the Fair, and thus adding to the 
amount. It was necessary also that time should be given 
for all bills to be collected and paid. 

The ladies who were appointed to superintend the concerns 
of the Fair are unwilling to perform this last dut}^ in its 
service, without acknowledgment to those, by whose kindness 



308 HISTORY OF THE 

and liberality it was made successful. This acknowledgment 
must be general, because they to whom it is due are so many. 
It was a public object, and generously did the public carry it 
through. 

While recording the list of towns that came so cordially 
and effectually to our aid by their tables in the Hall, we do 
not forget the many other places, from the ladies of which 
contributions more or less considerable were received. And 
this co-operation of so many out of our city, of some out of 
our State, and even beyond the limits of New England, 
showed a spirit to be abroad that might well animate and 
encourage us. And indeed the interchange of kind feelings 
among the man}'' brought from distant places, to act together 
for a short time in a common cause, is not the least pleasant 
of the results and recollections of the Fair. 

To particularize the individuals, to whom acknowledgments 
might justly be made, would lead to details so long, and to 
publicity in many cases so unwished for, that we can only 
include in one cordial offering of thanks all who contributed 
in whatever way, or in whatever proportion, to the success of 
the undertaking. 

We may, however, be permitted to remark on the items in 
the treasurer's report of expenses attending the Fair, that 
these were smaller than could have been anticipated ; that 
considerable deductions were given in from some of the bills ; 
and especially that William AVashburn, Esq., to whose taste 
and skill in planning and carrjdng into effect the accommoda- 
tions and decorations of the Hall so much is due, declined 
receiving any compensation for his valuable services. This 
liberalit}^ will be best appreciated by those Avho were wit- 
nesses of his indefatigable exertions previously to the Fair, 
and during its continuance. 

It is hoped that the gentlemen. Committee of the Bunker 
Hill Monument Association, and others, to whose attendance 
and courtesy we are indebted, will not be unwilling to receive 
this slight notice of the pleasure with which their services are 
remembered. To say that nothing was omitted on their part, 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 309 

which could lighten the care and make pleasant the task of 
the ladies engaged in the Fair, is but to echo the sentiments 
of all. 

Haying done what we could, it only remains for us to hope 
that our days may yet see the completion of a Monument, 
which shall stand to tell of our Fathers to coming genera- 
tions. 

Catherine G. Prescott, 
Sarah J. Hale, 
LuciNDA Chapman, 
Susan P. Warren, 
Sarah Darracott, 
Abby L. Wales, 

Executive Committee. 
Boston, Nov. 1840. 

At a meeting of the Directors held November 19, 
1840, the above reports having been read, it was there- 
upon 

Voted unanimously. That the same be acce]3ted, entered at 
large upon the records of the Corporation, and published in 
the papers. Also, that Mr. David Francis be appointed a 
Committee to cause the same to be printed in an appropriate 
form for distribution. 

The folloAving Resolutions, presented by the Presi- 
dent, were unani-iiionsly accepted, and ordei-ed to be 
printed with the above i-eports: — 

Whereas this Board of Directors, through the agency of a 
Committee appointed at a meeting on the 25th of June last, 
invited the women of our country to aid this Association in 
collecting a fund sufficient to complete the unfinished Monu- 
ment on Bunker Hill ; and having been witnesses of the 
cheerfulness and alacrity with which the ladies of Boston 
and various other i)laces responded to that invitation, and of 
the enthusiasm, industry, ingenuity, and untiring activity, 
manifested by them in the prosecution of the design of a Fair 



310 HISTORY OF THE 

at Quincy Hall, as one of the most successful means of secur- 
ing the object in view ; and having received from a Com- 
mittee of those ladies a communication by which it appears 
that the proceeds of that Fair, amounting to thirty thousand 
and thirty-five dollars, fifty-three cents, have been paid over 
to the treasurer of the Association, as a contribution to the 
Monument Fund : 

It is therefore Resolved^ That the thanks of this Association 
be presented to our countrywomen, to each, and to all, who 
have united in collectiug this contribution, and thus enabled 
the Directors to contract for the completion of the Monument. 

Resolved^ That while, as Directors of a corporate body, we 
thus in a formal manner express our gratitude, we cannot 
withhold the declaration, that in our opinion all those who 
are living in the enjoyment of the blessings of a free govern- 
ment, and of its civil, literary, and religious institutions, — 
all who cherish the sentiments of the heroes and patriots of 
the Revolution, — all who reverence the memories of those 
that suffered in defence of the principles of liberty, — all, in 
fine, who admire patriotism in its most attractive form, and 
love virtue in its holiest and most beautiful manifestation, — 
will admire, will applaud, and will reverence the deed herein 
recorded, the motive by which it was dictated, and the agents 
by whom it was accomplished. 

Resolved., That this Board will procure or cause to be written 
a Memoir of the Fair, its origin, progress, and result, to be 
placed on the records of the Corporation. 

Mr. Francis, one of the Directors, gratuitonsly 
printed in handsome style a large number of circulai's 
embracing the foregoing reports, which were freely 
distributed. 

At a meeting of the Directors Jannar}^ 14, 1841, 
Mr. Russell, the Treasurer, presented the following: — 



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BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. oil 

Abstract of Donations to the Bunker Hill Monument Association, 
since June 17, 1840. 

Ladies of Greenfield 150.00 

Operatives of Worsted Factory, Framingham . . 36.12 

Clark and Hatch, Auctioneers 50.00 

Israel Munson 200.00 

James Phalen, New York 100.00 

Abel Willard, omnibus proprietor, Cambridge . 60.00 

Friend 5.00 

Amos Lawrence 10,000.00 

Ladies' Fair 30,035.53 

Thos. B. Wales, Wm. W. Stone, and N. T. Bow- 
ditch, Trustees 1,500.00 

John C. Gray 150.00 

Francis C. Gray 150.00 

G. AVashington Warren 200.00 

Boston Academy of Music 40.00 

Fanny Elssler 569.50 

Boston Musical Institute 40.00 

J. Ingersoll Bowditch 20.00 ' 

From Philadelphia, per Daniel McGregor . . . 794.14 

A. L. Forestier, jjer Benjamin T. Reed .... 987.63 

John Bryant 150.00 

Ebenr. Breed, for visitors to the Monument . . 15.35 

Judah Touro by William Appleton 10,000.00 |55, 153.27 

From which there has been paid, viz. : — 

Debt to Amos Lawrence, in full 7,563.73 

Rent of Quincy Hall for Ladies' Fair .... 400.00 7,963.73 

$47,189.54. 

At this meeting the following Resolutions prepared 
by the President were unanimously adopted : — 

Resolved^ That the Directors receive the contribution of 
Mr. Touro with sentiments of deep and grateful respect, con- 
sidering it as a testimonial of his regard for the principles, and 
the contest for which and its successful issue the Monument 
is intended to commemorate, and his affectionate recollection 
of the friends of his youth and the place of his early residence. 

Resolved, That John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, 
Joseph Story, Edward Everett, and Franklin Dexter be 



312 HISTORY OF THE 

appointed a Committee to prepare an inscription for a tablet 
to be placed in the Monument stating the object for which it 
is erected, and recording the liberality of Judah Touro and 
Amos Lawrence, and the successful exertions of the daugh- 
ters of those patriots whose memories we would perpetuate, 
— donations and labor which have placed in the possession of 
the Directors a fund sufficient to complete this memorial of 
one of the most important events in the history of our country. 

Of those noble women who by their timel}^ appeal 
and patriotic sympathy averted the continued disgrace 
of the unfinished Monument, the greater number have 
passed on to their eternal reward, but they have left 
upon earth a i-ecord of their service and zeal for the 
public good which history can never forget. Of the 
few who still survive, Mrs. Hale, for many years past 
a resident of Philadelphia, has, during her protracted 
life, constantly employed her vigorous pen for the 
elevation of her sex, and for the ^^I'oi^^otion of a laud- 
able national sentiment. For thirtj^ years in Godey's 
Lady's Book, under her editorship, she has pleaded 
for the establishment of a National Thanksgiving to be 
observed every year on the last Thursday of Novem- 
ber, that being the day that was selected by Presi- 
dent Washington in 1789, Avhen he Avas requested by a 
joint Committee of both Houses of the first Congress 
to set apart a day by Proclamation " as a day of public 
Thanksgiving and Prayer." In that original model 
Proclamation Washington referred to this country 
having become " a Nation," and also to our " National 
Government," our " National transgressions," and our 
" jS^ational duties." If such a proclamation had been 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 313 

issued every year by Washington and his successors 
in the presidential office, it never would have been 
forgotten anywhere that the United States was indeed 
a nation. ^N^ational Fasts, also, have been occasionally 
proclaimed by different Presidents in times of threat- 
ened disaster, as on account of the prevalence of the 
Asiatic cholera, and by President Buchanan in 1860, 
before the outbreak. By a correspondence with the 
Governors of all the States in 1859, Mrs. Hale was 
instrumental in persuading them to appoint the last 
Thursday in ]N^ovember of that year for a State 
Thanksgiving. By similar efforts, a national Thanks- 
giving was proclaimed by President Lincoln in 1863, 
and in every succeeding year by the President for the 
time being. She has urged and still urges Congress 
to pass a Joint Resolution, recommending the annual 
observance of the last Thursday of l^ovember as the 
day of N^ational Thanksgiving, so that it may never 
be overlooked by any President. 

Prompted by a kindred sentiment of patriotism, 
Mrs. Harrison Gray Otis of Boston, — who assisted in 
the Monument Fair, and subsequently in a Fair held 
for the purchase of Mount Yernon, — by her personal 
influence, and by her example in throwing open to 
the public her hospitable mansion invariably upon the 
anniversaiy of Washington's birthday, induced the 
Legislature of Massachusetts to make the twenty- 
second day of February a legal holiday throughout the 
Commonwealth. It remains for Congress and the 
President, by recognizing these two days as national 

40 



314 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 

holidays, to perpetuate those sentiments of fraternal 
concord and love of country, which it was the design 
of the builders of the Bunker Hill Monument to kindle 
and inspire. 

The opportune aid of the women in finishing the 
upper half of the Monument at a time when the men 
despaired of seeing it done in their generation will 
often be referred to as an illustration of what they 
may yet do in aiding to form and complete the lofty 
ideal of a true Republic. In all ages and countries 
there have been exceptional cases of women being 
rulers, or adepts in diplomacy and leadership, as 
skilled in science and art, or as signal examples of 
heroism, magnanimity, or beneficence. But here, 
where the doors of knowledge and literature are 
equally open to them, where the field of action is 
almost only self-limited, their power of good to the 
body-politic is immense. May the women of the 
country — without whom indeed there would be no 
country — aim to elevate Public Sentiment, which is the 
ultimate and supreme ruler, and to set up a high stand- 
ard of virtue, self-denial, and right-living, so that the 
nation, under their refined influence, and guided by 
the teachings of the Saviour of mankind, may become 
the resplendent Light of the World! 




ITJhIv^ CohUMU ^inj^izD>^ OR UnioR 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Survey this wide-spread land, 

And tell us where on earth 
There can be found a better band, 

Of more ennobling birth. 
Than they who breathe this liberal air, 
And all these glorious blessings share. 

TOSEPII TINKER BUCKIIS'GHAM, the seventh 
*^ gentleman elected to the oflSce of President of 
the Association, had the peculiar pleasure of witness- 
ing during his term the comj^letion of the great work. 
He was born in Windham, Connecticut, December 
21, 1779. In his fourth year, his father, a Revolu- 
tionary soldier, died, leaving no estate; and he was 
obliged in early youth to work upon a farm. At the 
age of sixteen he entered a printing office, — the 
college of such men as he, of the Franklin type, — 
where he too obtained his education and livelihood. 
In his twenty-first year he came to Boston, soon rose 
to be a leader of the editorial corps, and was sur- 
passed by no one as a writer of pure and terse Eng- 
lish. As a critic, magazine-w^riter, and author, he 
had excellent qualities. He was thoroughly American 
in politics, and a genuine hater of every form of cock- 
neyism and shams. He ably served the State in both 
branches of the Legislature, and was President of the 
Agricultural Society of Middlesex County, and also 



316 HISTORY OF THE 

of the Massachusetts Charitahle Mechanic Associa- 
tion, of whose annals he pnbhshed a veiy interesting 
and vahiable memoir. It was during his presidency 
of the Mechanic Association, and under his special 
influence, that the eflbrt of that society was made for 
the monument. 

A few weeks after the elevation of the cap-stone, it 
occurred to the Secretary that Mr. Webster should be 
invited to deliver an addi'css on the succeeding anni- 
versary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, and he proposed 
to President Buckingham to call with him on Mr. 
Webster, who was then in Boston. The great states- 
man was, as it were, under a political cloud, because he 
had, in the judgment of the leaders of the Whig party, 
though not in his own, overstaid his time in the cab- 
inet of President Tyler* besides, his speech in Faneuil 
Hall a short time before had given great offence. So 
Boston was rather cold to him, as compared with 
his recejotion in former times. Under these cir- 
cumstances the call was made. There was a hearty 
greeting and welcome. After a few words, Mr. 
Buckingham said: "I suppose you are aware, Mr. 
Webster, that the Bunker Hill Monument is finished? " 
" Yes," he replied, " and I hope it fully meets the ex- 
pectation of the founders of the Association." Mr. 
Buckingham continued: "It has occurred to us, sir, 
that it might be desirable to commemorate the event 
on our next anniversary, — that is, if 3^ou would give 
the oration. We, however, are not authorized to 
speak on this subject, as it has not been yet before 
the Directors. We come to get your private opinion." 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 317 

Mr. Webster's luminous eyes Idndled at the sugges- 
tion, and he promptly replied: "I do not desire that 
any thing I may say should influence you or the 
Directors; but this I am prej^ared to say now, that, if 
the Directors should desire to have a celebration, and 
I should be asked to deliver the oration, I shall cer- 
tainly accept." 

He did not inquire, nor seem to care, whether Con- 
cord would have a rival celebration on the previous 
19th April. On the 24th September, the Directors 
determined to have a public celebration; and the 
President, Secretarj^, and Dr. John O. Warren were 
appointed a Committee of Arrangements, with full 
powers, and with authority to add to their number, 
not exceeding six. William Appleton, William W. 
Stone, Edward Brooks, Charles Wells, George Dar- 
racott, and Charles G. Greene were afterward joined 
by the original committee; and these nine made all 
the arrangements for that most successful celebration 
of June 17,1843. 

The President of the United States, and all his 
cabinet, and all the Governors of the different States, 
were specially invited, as it was desired to give to the 
celebration a national and imposing character. In- 
dications of the people's interest in the event and a 
desire to participate in it were manifested from every 
part of the country. The facilities of travel had won- 
derfully increased by the construction of railroads, so 
that a great multitude could repair here and return 
home with far greater ease than in 1825. General 
Samuel Chandler was the chief marshal of the pro- 



318 HISTORY OF THE 

cession; and his arrangements were complete, and 
well carried out. 

On the 16th June, 1843, President Tyler and his 
cabinet made their pubUc entry in Boston, during a 
most violent rain-storm, escorted by the Boston regi- 
ment, under the command of Colonel George T. 
Bigelow. The city had provided quarters for the 
presidential i3arty at the Tremont House, where, soon 
after their arrival, thej^ received the calls of the Com- 
mittee of the City Government, the judges, and other 
official personages. Great apprehension was felt as 
to the weather of the 17th, and what should be done 
if the storm should continue; but, happily, it was a 
clear Bunker-Hill day. The 17th fell on Saturday, 
— the same day of the week on which the battle oc- 
curred. In addition to the volunteer trooj)S of the 
State, there were two regiments from 'New York and 
one from New Hampshire. 

Early in the morning the invited guests. Committee 
of Arrangements, Governor Marcus Morton, the legis- 
lative and executive departments of the government. 
Mayor Brimmer and the City Council of Boston, met 
in the State House, the President and party hav- 
ing been escorted thither from their hotel by the 
Lancers. There were present thirteen surviving sol- 
diers of the battle of Banker Hill, and ninety-five 
others who were in some of the battles of the Kevolu- 
tion. Two hours were agreeably spent in receptions 
and brief addresses of welcome. 

Meanwhile, Boston Common and all the avenues 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 319 

enclosing' or leading to it were alive with the move- 
ment of troops and of the different bodies of the pro- 
cession, each taking its assigned post in perfect order. 
Major-General Appleton Howe had the command of 
the whole military escort, Colonel Eben W. Stone 
being his chief of staff. Generals Nettleton, Dun- 
ham, and Dana were the brigade commanders. The 
Masonic Fraternity, having been specially invited, ap- 
peared in full numbers and regalia. The Association 
and various kindred societies, other organizations. 
Harvard College, Andover Seminary, and other liter- 
ary institutions, and delegations from all parts of the 
country, had their different places, and were generally 
decorated w^ith the badge of the day. 

Precisely at eleven o'clock, — at the moment of the 
time appointed by General Chandler, the promptest 
of marshals, — the procession moved forward. The 
streets on the route were completely decorated, and 
all the windows, and all the standpoints from which 
there was a view, were filled with delighted specta- 
tors. Cheers by the men and the weaving of handker- 
chiefs by the women gave enthusiastic greetings to 
the President and other guests, to the Revolutionary 
soldiers, and also to the different bodies on foot, as 
they moved along, keeping step to the music of the 
Union, which was most eloquently discoursed by over 
thirty bands. Such a procession, in honor of a great 
event, and on a great anniversary, to which the 
masses of all orders of society fl.ock together, animated 
by the same sympathetic feeling of 23atriotic enthusi- 
asm, is most impressive. It means something more 



320 HISTORY OF THE 

than an idle pageant: it teaches a lesson never to be 
forgotten by those who witness or who are present 
in it. 

More than two hnndred pohcemen accompanied the 
procession, making way, and keeping back the dense 
masses where necessary. A majority of these officers 
had been also appointed by the authorities of Charles- 
town and sworn in as special officers of that town for 
the day, — a measure which will not again be required, 
as fortunately Bunker Hill has been since made part 
of the metropolis. The crowds kept back at their 
simple bidding, and compressed themselves to their 
utmost possibility with good-humored patience. Mr. 
Upshur, of Virginia, Secretary of the Navy, at the 
dinner in Faneuil Hall, spoke of the admirable be- 
havior and decorum of the multitude with the highest 
encomium. In point of fact, it was remarked that not 
a single commitment was made during the day. 

In a little over three hours from the time of start- 
ing, the head of the procession reached the enclosure 
prepared for the public services. The pavilion for the 
orator and invited guests was located about two hun- 
dred feet north of the. northerly slope of Monument 
Square, from which was a fine view of Mystic River. 
On this slope, seats were arranged one above another 
for ladies, which were by this time filled; those ladies 
who had served at the Monument Fair having the 
most conspicuous places. Mr. James W. Paige, as 
chief marshal of the ground, had charge of the en- 
closure. Between the stage and the ladies' seats, there 
was a gradual ascent, as there was also from the top 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 321 

of the slope within the square towards the Monument. 
When this large space was filled by the procession and 
the crowd which followed it, the effect was gorgeous: 
no tongue or pen can adequately describe it. 

For the opening service a fervent prayer was made 
by Kev. Dr. George E. Ellis, during which the whole 
assembly of men stood uncovered. President Buck- 
ingham then presented the orator to the audience. 
Mr. Webster's majestic figure, as soon as seen, was 
greeted with long and reverberating cheers. He looked 
remarkably well. Some incidents were wanting to 
this occasion which marked that of 1825, especially 
the presence of Lafayette, the novelty of the scene, 
and the comparative freshness of the theme. On the 
other hand, there stood before the orator the completed 
monument, — the fruition of an expectation long de- 
layed, the consummation of the people's pride in the 
finished work. Down at its base, the hushed mass of 
humanity seemed like the smooth waves of the tran- 
quil sea. 

Then, again, the further the Battle of Bunker Hill 
recedes into the distant past, the greater the event ap- 
pears, as its consequences are everywhere still more 
and more developed. 

Webster felt all this, and kindled with enthusiasm. 
He briefly referred to the efforts of the Association, 
and congratulated them that a duty at last had been 
performed. Referring to the origin of the nation's 
independence, he proceeded at length to show how 
our fathers brought with them the Bible and the 

41 



322 HISTORY OF THE 

literature and the free institutions of the Old World, 
escaping from local customs and fetters, and had 
planted in the virgin soil of the new continent the 
principles of a representative government. 

As he contrasted the principles on which our gov- 
ernment was founded with those on which the eph- 
emeral governments of South America were set up, 
he said: "I would that the fifty thousand voices 
present could proclaim it with a shout which should 
be heard over the globe." The clear, sonorous sound 
of his voice reverberated from the Monument, and 
the words came back in distinct echo, " over the 
globe." Then those voices gave in response a cheer 
loud enough to have drowned the cry and noise of 
battle, which was made there sixty-eight years before. 
In conclusion, he showed that the United States 
had repaid its great obligation to the fatherland by 
the impulse to progress, and by the example of the 
character of "Washington, and of the success of our 
Republic. 

As an illustration of the effect which this address 
produced. Dr. John C. Warren, who had observed to 
his associates on the Committee as he rode over in 
the procession that Mr. Webster, however grand, 
could not possibly come up to his address in 1825, 
for then he was in his prime, declared on the return, 
with great delight, "Webster has surpassed him- 
self ! " 

While these exercises were going on, the whole 
military escort was withdrawn to a convenient rest- 
ing-place, where all the troops were served bountifully 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 323 

with rations under the charge of Colonel Stone. The 
line was re-formed when the exercises were over, and 
the procession returned in the same order in which it 
came. Mr. Webster was not in the procession in the 
morning, desiring that nothing should divert or inter- 
rupt the respect that should be given to the President 
of the United States. But, as he appeared in his place 
in the return, there was one loud continuous cheering 
for him from Bunker Hill to the State House, — a 
remarkable instance of the great popular applause 
bestowed upon pre-eminent ability over even the 
highest official position. 

After a brief respite at the State House, the invited 
guests and subscribers to the dinner were formed in 
procession by George W. Gordon, Esq., Chief Mar- 
shal, and were escorted to Faneuil Hall by the City 
Greys, commanded by Captain Newell A. Thompson. 
The Hall was splendidly decorated. Mr. Bucking- 
ham presided at the feast with great dignity and good- 
humor. He was supported by twenty-nine Vice- 
Presidents, who were officers of the Association. 
Grace was said by the Chaplain, Kev. Dr. George E. 
Ellis. After the feast of the viands, the feast of 
reason began. The first toast was, — 

" The Battle of Bunker Hill, — Freedom fell, but Liberty tri- 
umphed." 

In response, the whole company standing sang the 
following stanzas to the tune of "Old Hundred : " — 

O God, yon pile shall mark, for aye. 
The ground whereon our fathers fell, 

The self-devoted of their day, 
The beauty of their Israel. 



> 



324 HISTORY OF THE 

And while the winds shall o'er it sweep, 

Thy thunders break around its head, 
Those Martyrs there in peace shall sleep, 

For Thou, O God, shalt guard their bed. 

The second regular toast was, — 

" The Monument, — The proud Memorial of a defeat, glorious to 
the vanquished, and of a victory, fatal to the conquerors." 

This was followed by an original song, composed 
by Henry T. Tuckerman, adapted to the air of 
" Sparkling and Bright," and sung by a select choir. 

The third toast was responded to by the Band, 
playing " Hail Columbia." 

" The principles of the Revolutionary Struggle, — A love of liberty, 
protected and regulated by law, and a dread of anarchy not less strong 
than hatred of oppression. He that looks for the origin of those princi- 
ples must look above the summit of the Monument which commemo- 
rates their triumph." 

By this time the company were fully prepared for 
the toast which is always rapturously received, because 
it speaks to the national heart : " The President of the 
United States." After nine hearty cheers, President 
Tyler briefly thanked the company for the flattering 
notice of him, and gave: — 

" The Union, — Union of purpose — Union of feeling — the Union 
established by our fathers." 

After the band had given " Yankee Doodle " with 
full stress, the next toast was announced : — 

" The Orator of the Day, — If we would find his equal in eloquence 
and patriotism, we must be permitted to exercise liberally the right 
which he has refused to the most powerful nation on earth, — The 
RIGHT OF Search." 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 325 

Had the toast been simply The Orator of the day, 
it would have kindled great enthusiasm, but coupling 
with it Mr. Webster's recent triumph in his letter to 
Lord Ashburton, repudiating for his country hence- 
forth and for ever the right of search on behalf of> 
Great Britain, the old cradle of Liberty seemed to 
rock with the vociferous cheers and cries which were 
spontaneously uttered. As soon as the joyous tumult 
had subsided, Mr. Webster briefly returned his ac- 
knowledgments, and gave: — 

" The rights of Commerce, — Everywhere to be protected at any 
expense of blood and treasure." 

George Ticknor Curtis, Esq., being called upon by 
the chair, made an eloquent speech upon the heroes 
and the heroic services of South Carolina during the 
Revolution, and gave: — 

" South Carolina and Massachusetts, — Shoulder to shoulder they 
went through the Revolution, laying up for each other treasures of 
glory. The sons never will divide the great inheritance." 

Hugh S. Legare, the acting Secretary of State, in 
whose honor this sentiment was given, was prevented 
by a sudden and fatal illness from being present. 
John C. Spencer, the Secretary of the Treasury, in 
responding to a call made upon him, gave a sentiment 
in honor of the Ladies of [N^ew England. James M. 
Porter the Secretary of War in like manner gave a 
sentiment in honor of the Pilgrim Fathers. 

The President then called for the next toast upon 
George Bancroft, Esq., who had been appointed by 
the Committee the substitute orator of the day, in 



326 HISTORY OF THE 

case of the failure of Mr. Webster. He spoke as 

follows : — 

Mr. President, — When Massachusetts recalls her days 
of trial, her heart throbs with gratitude for Virginia. The 
blood of Virginians did not wet the soil of Bunker Hill; but 
the spirit of the Ancient Dominion had gone before, guiding 
by its light, and cheering by its sympathy. 

"When the passage of the Stamp Act roused the genius of 
American freedom to that contest between liberty and power, 
which has, this day, so forcibly been illustrated in the pres- 
ence of myriads of hearers, it was while the Virginians were 
musing that the fire first burned ; it was Virginia that gave 
the example of resistance, and the words of Patrick Henry 
rung through the land like the voice of a trumpet. 

When the Representatives of Massachusetts stood forth to 
deny altogether the dominion of the British Parliament, it 
was Virginia that leaned forward to share the danger and 
invite a correspondence. 

When the Boston Port Bill closed our harbor, and the 
ships that should be the swift messengers of New England's 
industry lay chained to the useless wharfs, and the hammer 
of the shipwright was silent, and the laborer went to and fro 
in the streets unemployed, all Virginia demanded to esteem 
the sufferers here as members of her own household ; and, to 
take but one example, the people of the remote Augusta 
country, 120 miles at least from a navigable river, made their 
way over rocks and streams and ranges of hills, with no roads 
but the roughest, and thus carted, or dragged, or rolled, to 
tide-water, more than a liundred barrels of flour, their gift to 
the poor of Boston. 

When, at the cry from Lexington and Concord, New Eng- 
land rose in arras, and abandoned its metropolis only to lay 
siege to its enemies that were encamped there, Virginia sent 
for our defence the most expert of her riflemen, bravest among 
the brave. 

When to remove invasion by attack, it Avas resolved to scale 
the mountains that divide us from Quebec, Virginians were 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 327 

among the boldest to climb the highlands of Maine ; and the 
waters of the Kennebec and the Chaudiere, as long as they 
flow, will tell the story of their daring. 

And greatest benefit of all ! When Boston was to be re- 
covered, it was a son of Virginia who took the command of 
our armies, and conducted successfully the most extraordinary 
siege in the annals of human warfare ; and WashingtGjST, most 
blessed among warriors, wisest of heroes, peerless among men, 
as he led back our exiled families to their homes, saw around 
him not one whom his ambition had bereaved of a husband 
or a son ; and, as he made his triumphant entry into the 
town which he had delivered, beheld himself thrice happy 
in a bloodless victory. I will give you, sir, 

" Virginia and Massachusetts, — Their names are blended insepara- 
bly in the record of their country's glory : their sons will ever cherish 
the freedom and the Union established by their fathers." 

Mr. Upshur, of Yirgiiiia, Secretary of the Navy, 
rose to respond, amidst enthusiastic applause. He 
said: — 

Me. President, — We are all assembled upon a very in- 
teresting occasion ; we are all — those of us who are strangers 

— enjoying the kind hospitalities of the citizens of Boston ; 
and it becomes the dut}^ of some one of the Virginians present 
to respond to the call upon his native State. In responding 
to your call, — your association of Massachusetts and Virginia, 

— where shall I begin ? Topics rush upon the mind so rapidly, 
each so strongly appealing for notice and utterance, that the 
tongue is confused and the power of recollection lost. But, 
indeed, why should I attempt to recall to Massachusetts 
minds those topics? It is a part of every Massachusetts 
man's education to know of the Revolutionary exertions of 
tlie different States, and of the ties which bound them to- 
gether. Every school-boy in New England, witli his satchel 
on his back, can tell of Lexington and Bunker Hill, of Tren- 
ton and Yorktown. 



328 HISTORY OF THE 

Every one in Massachusetts knows all this, and I hope I 
may say that, in my own State, our children learn to lisp 
those hallowed names at their mothers' knees. And, sir, 
though it was Virginia's fortune to furnish to the American 
army a leader whose peer the world never saw ; though in 
all creation there has been but one Washington, and never 
will be another ; and though he was wholly of Virginia, — 
yet we are not selfish ! His fame is bright enough to cast a 
lustre over the whole land. We can share it freely with all 
our countrymen, and all shall have enough. 

But, sir, engrossing as is that name, — and, as I hope, with- 
out a violation of modesty I may say, brilliant as are many 
other names belonging to Virginia, — their glory belongs not 
to us alone. In looking back to the events of the Revolution, 
who is there that can separate Virginia from Massachusetts ? 
Who can fail to couple the Old Dominion with this noble 
Commonwealth? Would, sir, would that Virginia were here 
to-day to respond, as she would respond, to the greeting of 
Massachusetts ; but venturing, incompetent as I am so to do, 
to represent her embodied spirit, in her name I say to Massa- 
chusetts, — as she would say, were she here, — Hail, hail to 
thee, O my sister ! 

After expressing at length his great admiration of 
the scenes he had witnessed, and of the order ex- 
hibited by the great crowd which had gathered to- 
gether, he gave : — 

'• Massachusetts, — Foremost in the conflict by wliich our liberties 
were won, and foremost to show us what our liberties are, when won." 

In answer to a toast complimentary to the State of 
Kentucky, Charles A. "VVickliffe, Postmaster-General, 
concluded his speech as follows : " But, gentlemen, we 
are here in this hall, the cradle of liberty, and, if I mis- 
take not the history of the times, there is, not far dis- 
tant, a church called the Old South. I will give : " — 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 329 

" The Citizens of Boston, — They feast as freemen in halls once 
desecrated by hostile armies, and in that church, where once fed the 
warrior's steed, they worship the living God in peace and safety." 

The President of the United States, Cabinet, and 
suite, here left the hall, being- greeted on their exit 
by loud cheers, the whole company standing. Caleb 
dishing, who had been but recently appointed as 
Minister to China, being called up by an appropriate 
toast, spoke eloquently upon the advantages of joeace, 
and gave : — 

" The triumphs of Peace, — More renowned than those of War." 

George S. Uillard, Esq., being announced by the 
chair, pronounced an eloquent and classic eulogium 
npon Edward Everett, then the Minister Plenipoten- 
tiary of the United States at London, and closed with 
the following: — 

" The Hon. Edioard Everett, — Who has shown to the world the 
power and the grace which eloquence borrows from free institutions, 
and that the fire of genius never burns so brightly as when laid upon 
the altar of patriotism." 

As a response to his sentiment, the President re- 
quested the Chief Marshal to read the following letter 
from Mr. Everett: — 

London, 18th May, 1843. 
To J. T. Buckingham, Esq. 

My deak Sir, — A pressure of business puts it out of my 
power to express to you, as fully as I should wish, the satis- 
faction I feel that you are so soon to celebrate the completion 
of the Bunker Hill Monument. I congratulate you and all 
the other public-spirited friends of this patriotic work, on the 
happy termination of 3'our labors. I look backward with 

42 



330 HISTORY OF THE 

j)leasure on the humble share it was my own good fortune 
to take in the earlier efforts to accomplish this object ; and 
though absent and distant from you, on this auspicious occa- 
sion, I assure you I shall be present with you in imagination. 

It is now ten years, Avithin a few days, since I uttered in 
Faneuil Hall, before a public meeting at which I think you 
presided (as you have at so many others held for the same 
good cause), the confident words that '''■ I was sure the work 
would he done^ I rested that assurance on my belief that 
the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association, not prone 
to leave a job half completed, having undertaken to finish it, 
would persevere in the enterprise till the cap-stone was car- 
ried up. I am much obliged to them for saving my reputa- 
tion as a prophet. 

I beg leave to offer you the sentiment which 3'ou will find 
below, and with it for yourself and my fellow- citizens, who 
may be .assembled on the occasion, the assurance of the kind 
remembrance and cordial good wishes of 

Your friend and associate, 

Edwakd Everett. 

" The Bunher Hill MonumenU — While we rear this noble pile to 
the memory of our fathers, may our own principles and conduct be 
such as to cause our names to be cherished with theirs by posterity, 
and make our beloved country the object of respect with the friends of 
liberty throughout the world." 

A letter from Governor Marcus Morton, who was 
suffering from indisposition, was read. The two great 
benefactors of the Association were remembered by 
the following: — 

Amos and Judah, venerated names, 

Patiuarcli and Prophet press their equal claims, 

Like generous coursers, running " neck and neck," 

Each aids the work by giving it a check. 

Christian and Jew, they carry out one plan, 

For, though of different faith, each is in heart a Man. 



BUNKER HILL . MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 331 

Mr. Buckingham, on retiring from the chair, 
gave : — 

" The Seventeenth of June, 111 6, — The day when the flame of 
liberty flashed from a yeoman's powder-horn, and the voice of freedom 
spoke from a rusty gun." 

Hon. Stephen C. PhilHps, of Salem, one of the 
Vice-Presidents, in taking the cliair, gave: — 

" The health of the President of the day" 

which was received with great applause. He next 
gave : — 

" The Bunker Hill Monument, — It bears no inscription, and it needs 
none, since the lessons of patriotism it is designed to teach can be in- 
scribed only upon the hearts of those who behold it." 

Many other volunteer toasts were given, and songs 
were sung, and the patriotic festivities were prolonged 
to a late hour. The closing toast of the feast was 
given by Isaac Livermore, Esq., a Director, and it was 
loudly cheered: — 

" England and the United States, — They have learned that two indi- 
viduals can settle the differences between them better than two con- 
tending armies. May the amicable relations of the treaty of 1843 be 
as enduring as the memorial of the battle of the 17tli June, 1775." 

So the most distinguished dinner ever given in 
Faneuil Hall closed with a token of good-will to the 
mother country. 

In the latter part of the evening, there was a 
brilliant reception at the residence of Mr. Paige, on 
Summer Street, which was connected with the adjoin- 
ing house of Colonel Benjamin Loring, a patriotic 



332 HISTORY OF THE 

Director of the Association; and in the spacious 
drawino'-rooms of the two houses the distinofnished 
strangers and citizens, joining in the refined society of 
ladies, were hospitably entertained until well-nigh the 
Sabbath morn. Those houses, and those of Webster 
and Everett, in the same street, are all demolished; 
in a few years it will be hard for any one to believe 
that these men ever lived in that business street. 

The open areas, on which the greater part of the 
people assembled to hear, at a long interval, Web- 
ster's two grand orations, are already covered with 
buildings. JS^othing now remains on the old battle- 
field for public gatherings but Monument Square and 
the neighboring streets. The projected avenue from 
City Square to the Monument is now much needed; 
and its want Avill be more and more felt as time goes 
on, and the world's pilgrimage to the American 
Mecca is still increasino'. 

The city of Boston owns two historical paintings: 
one is in Faneuil Hall, by Healy, and represents Mr. 
Webster in the Senate of the Uiiited States, delivering 
that far-famed speech in defence of Massachusetts, in 
answer to an able speech by Mr. Hayne of South 
Carolina, and in which he proclaimed that memorable 
and ever-cherished motto, " Liberty and Union one 
and inseparable ; " the other is in the Charlestown 
branch of the City Library, and was painted by Pope 
soon after Mr. Webster's decease, as a memorial of 
him; this represents him delivering this last address, 
with the Monument and audience in front, and at the 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 333 

point of saying, as he turns to President Tyler, among 
the distingnished men on the pUxtform, with his hand 
stretching forward, " This cohnim stands on UisriON." 
Whatever triumphs that wonderful man achieved, 
— and no one enjoyed more or greater, — whether in 
the forum, in the Senate, in the popular assemblj^, or, 
by the statesman's pen, in the Department of State, 
he will be best known and appreciated in after times 
as the Patriot Orator, and, as such, his great 
name, identified with Bunker Hill Monument, Avill be 
transmitted with it to the advancing centuries of the 
Republic. 

This magnificent demonstration was unhappily fol- 
lowed by tAvo mournful events. Hugh S. Legare, of 
South Carolina, who was Attorney-General, and also 
Secretary of State ad interim, in jDlace of Mr. Web- 
ster, resigned, and who had come on to attend this 
august occasion, died, after a sudden illness of four 
days, in the house of his friend, George Ticknor, 
where he received the kindest and most hospitable 
attention. Before leaving Washington, he had sent 
the following letter, anticipating the pleasure he was 
not permitted to enjoy: — 

Washington, June 6, 1843. 

Sir, — I had the honor duly to receive, but have hitherto 
been prevented from acknowledging, the letter by which you 
communicated to me the obliging invitation of the Committee 
of Arrangements for the Bunker Hill celebration. My official 
business will not permit me to accompany the President on 
his tour ; but it is my purpose, if I can find the necessary 
leisure, to join him, on the 17th, at Boston and at Bunker Hill. 



334 HISTORY OF THE 

I need not assure you how honored I shall feel myself, in 
that event, by the civilities which the Committee has been 
so kind as to offer me, and that I am, with the highest con- 
sideration, Sir, 

Their and your most obliged and most humble servant, 

H. S. Legare. 

G. Washington Waeren, Esq., &c. 

Captain Josiah Cleveland came on from Oswego to 
!New York to joinin the celebration with his surviving 
comrades of the Revolutionary Army. He was the 
hero of that day. But the excitement was too much 
for him: he died in Charlestown, after a short illness, 
in his ninetieth j^ear, and was buried from St. John's 
Church, where a funeral discourse was j)i'eached by 
the rector, Rev. Dr. Thomas R. Lambert, on Sunday, 
July 2. His remains wei*e escorted by several mili- 
tary companies to Mount Auburn Cemetery, Avhere he 
was buried, with military honors, in a lot purchased 
by Amos Lawrence. He enlisted from Connecticut, 
his native State, and, having commenced his service 
in the battle of Bunker Hill, continued it to the great 
day of Yorktown. He was personally known to 
"Washington and to Lafayette, and was recognized by 
the latter at Bunker Hill on the fiftieth anniversary 
in 1825. Fortunate in the great incidents of his life, 
and in the eclat of his death, which, though far away 
from his kindred, took place in the midst of his fellow- 
countrymen, all bound to him by gratitude and love. 

Many letters of regret were received from those 
who were invited, but were unable to participate in 
the celebration. Governor Fenner of lihode Island 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 335 

was the only Governor present from another State, 
and he was also present in 1825, as Governor. Gov- 
ernor Hammond of South Carolina regretted that, 
under the peculiar restriction which then existed in 
the constitution of his State, he could not leave it 
while in office. The British Consul in Boston was 
very desirous of attending; but he could not overcome 
the awkwardness of the situation, so he wrote this 
letter: — 

Bkitish Consulate, Boston, June 14, 1843. 

Dear Sir, — I beg to thank you for your obliging letter, 
and, through you, the Committee of the Bunker Hill Asso- 
ciation, for their invitation to join in the celebration on the 
17th inst. 

Under the peculiar circumstances of the occasion, I feel 
very sensibly the liberality of this invitation. It would have 
given me great pleasure, on personal accounts, to be with my 
colleagues of the Consular Corps in the place assigned to us 
in the ceremonies. But, on consideration, I think it better, 
for several reasons, that 1 should respectfull}^ decline the honor 
intended to me by the Committee ; and I have no doubt the 
gentlemen composing it will understand my motives, without 
requiring of me the somewhat difficult and always doubtful 
task of " defining my position." 

Trusting to your kindness to make known my sentiments 
to the other members, 

I am, dear sir, with much truth, 

Your obliged and obedient servant, 

T. C. Grattan. 

G. Washington Wakeen, Esq. 

Had he faced the dilemma, and given in his appear- 
ance, the concluding toast of the feast would have re- 
ceived a still more hearty recognition. It remained 



336 HISTORY OF THE 

for His Royal Highness Albei-t Edward, the Prince 
of Wales, to break the ice, and go to Bunker Hill in 
the spirit of amity and good- will. 

Isaac Livermore, Esq , had been added to the Com- 
mittee, whose special duty it was to provide the 
" ways and means.'' He succeeded so well in ob- 
taining subscriptions from public bodies and individ- 
uals, that only $200 were drawn from the treasury on 
account of this Celebration. 

The next duty that remained for the Association to 
perform was the fidfilment of the pledge given through 
Mr. Everett, when he was Secretary, to King Solo- 
mon's Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, — that 
some trace of their former monument should be pre- 
served. The matter was referred to the Building Com- 
mittee, with full powers, who directed that permission 
be given to the Lodge to place a copy of their monu- 
ment in the interior circle or newel, to face the 
entrance. The Lodge accepted the proposition. An 
exact copy of the Tuscan pillar, in Italian marble, was 
prepared; and extensive arrangements were made for 
its inauguration on June 24, 1845, by the Grand Lodge. 
The fraternity attended in large numbers. A brilliant 
Masonic procession — the first that had appeared in 
public in this State for fifteen years — was formed 
under Winslow Lewis, chief marshal, with Newell A. 
Thompson and Peter C. Jones as aides, and passed 
through the principal streets of Charlestown, Avhich 
were lined with spectators, to the southerly side of 
the Monument, where the exercises took place. The 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 337 

audience covered the southerly part of the square to 
Ilig'h Street. After a pra3^er b}'" Rev. Joseph O. 
Skinner, one of the grand chaphiins, the venerable 
John Soley, as representing King Solomon's Lodge, 
in a firm voice and impressive manner addressed the 
Grand Master, Augustus Peabody, as follows : — 

Most Worshipful, — Half a century ago I had the honor 
of dedicating, in the name of King Solomon's Lodge, the first 
Monument erected on this spot to the memory of those brave 
men who here fell in the cause of American freedom ; and 
now, after a lapse of fifty years, I am, by the mercy of Divine 
Providence, spared to unite with a new generation, and, over 
the graves of our departed countrymen, to offer anew our 
heartfelt gratitude for their patriotic services, and to shed the 
tear of affectionate remembrance over their virtues. The 
story of our resistance to the regal mandates and oppressive 
requisitions of our maternal alliance has long since been 
spread upon the page of history, and deeply engraven upon 
the heart of every American. 

The result of that resistance, under the guidance of Divine 
Wisdom and the sword of our illustrious Brother Washing- 
ton, was our independence as a nation, and the establishment 
of our civil and religious privileges as a people. Let us, as 
American citizens, strive to merit a continuance of these in- 
estimable blessings, and, forgetting the wrongs that are past, 
let us cultivate peace and kindred feeling with the family 
from whence we sprang, and be mutually inclined to promote 
the prosperity of each other so long as we continue members 
of the famil}^ of nations ; and to this end let us implore the 
Almighty Architect of the Universe to control that grasping 
ambition which is the bane of public and private virtue and 
the grave of national glory. 

At the formation of the Bunker Hill Monument Associa- 
tion, King Solomon's Lodge transferred to that body the 
Monument they had erected, with the land belonging to the 

43 



338 HISTOKY OF THE 

same, upon condition that there should be placed within the 
walls of the Monument they were about to erect, a suitable 
memorial of the ancient pillar, in order to perpetuate that 
early patriotic act of the Masonic Fraternity. In carrying 
out this intention, a model of the original monument has been 
executed in marble, and placed on the spot intended for its 
location ; and now, sir, I present you with these working 
tools, to enable you to examine its architectural proportions, 
and am ready to introduce you to the place of its deposit. 

Grand Master Peabody made a very effective and 
spirited reply; and then proceeded, with the grand 
oflScers, to examine the new model, which had already 
been put in position, and to perform the ceremonial 
services. An original ode by Thomas Power was 
then sung; after which Charles B. Pogers, the Master 
of King Solomon's Lodge, introduced, as orator of 
the day, G. Washington Warren, who delivered the 
address, of which the following is an extract: — 

In the ceremonies of this morning we do not seek to ex- 
hibit a vain spirit of ostentation. We wish fairly to discharge 
a duty which we owe to truth and to history. If gratitude 
for the performance of signal services be creditable to any 
age, it is all the more creditable the sooner it is testified after 
such services are rendered. If it were an achievement, 
honorable to our people, by means of a general association 
in 1825 to commence, and in 1843 to complete, a monument 
on Bunker Hill, commemorating the battle of the 17th June, 
1775, it was certainly more honorable to a single Lodge of 
Free and Accepted Masons to pay the same tribute of respect 
in 1794, when the generation had not yet passed away who 
witnessed the memorable conflict. Time and national pros- 
perity had not at that early period so richly unfolded the 
inestimable consequences of the long-continued series of strug- 
gles which was so brilliantly but terribly opened on this scene 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 339 

of most deadly execution. The name of Bunker Hill had 
not then become so prevalent a rallying-word throughout our 
wide-spread land, nor was the place itself visited so fre- 
quently as it now is daily by pilgrims from every clime. But 
the ancient members of King Solomon's Lodge, brought up 
at its feet and feeling to the full the generous emotions with 
which the contemplation of the place can never fail to inspire 
all true lovers of their country, thought they were doing but 
a simple act of duty in setting up a Pillar of their own to 
single out the spot, dear to them as inhabitants of Charles- 
town, as joint heirs with their fellow-countrymen in the 
blessed inheritance of civil and religious liberty, and still 
equally dear to them as members of an institution whose 
beloved chief had here shed his life-blood for the baptism of 
his country's freedom. And when, in the course of events, 
the whole community of a succeeding age were instigated, by 
their sense of justice as well as of gratitude, to offer in a 
similar but more enduring manner their homage of veneration 
to the men who here fought, bled, and died, it was noble 
in the Lodge to withdraw their rightful claim to the land, 
and to surrender the cherished work of their hands, to give 
place to another structure, which, in the sublimity of its con- 
ception and in the generality of its contributors, should utter 
forth a universal sentiment. 

And how rightly. Brethren, our predecessors judged in 
deeming this field to be deserving of monumental distinction ! 
Other places there are familiar and endeared to every Ameri- 
can heart, — other fields which in the view of history and of 
distant ages will appear as classic, ay, holy ground, but here, 
where our fathers first met in the form of an organized array 
with the fixed resolution to oppose a foreign government, 
whose injustice they had not been able to dissuade and were 
then determined as a last resort with their arms to defeat ; — 
here, where in battle array, and in sight, almost within reach, of 
the swift-spreading flames which were involving in a common 
destruction the dwellings and the sacred temple of worship of 
this devoted town, they gallantly resisted the skilful attacks 



340 - HISTORY OF THE 

of an experienced European soldiery, and where they dis- 
played that steadiness of nerve and daring courage which 
clearly demonstrated that on a fair trial, upon any thing like 
equal terms and with the just cause which they had, they 
would ever be victorious ; — here, here is the spot, where, all 
the world over and in all time to come, the friends of Free- 
dom will turn their glowing thoughts as to the prominent 
battle-ground of the American Revolution. Here flowed in 
copious streams the blood of the champions of American 
Liberty; here her principles first took deep root in the 
American soil ; and here, at last, has a grateful posterity 
reared upon a foundation not to be disturbed a permanent 
Monument which shall for ever proclaim her triumph. 

At the conclusion of these exercises, there was a 
dinner in a large tent spread out upon the then vacant 
lots on the easterly side of the square, at which ad- 
dresses and toasts were given by Charles W. Moore, 
Grand Masters Peabody, and Joseph R. Chandler, 
of Pennsylvania, and several others. 

Thus was completed the inauguration of the double 
monument, — the obelisk enclosing within its mighty 
embrace a marble copy of the beautiful Tuscan pillar 
which the first generation had set up on the mount of 
sacrifice. 

The same Building Committee were continued in 
office for three years. A second contract was made 
with Mr. Savage, under which he held possession of the 
Monument, with the i-ight to take the usual fees from 
visitors; and, for this privilege, he laid a granite walk 
ten feet wide on each side of the Monument, erected an 
iron fence on the outer line of the same, and also laid a 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 341 

•brick sidewalk on the streets upon the four sides of the 
square. The visitors' fees amounted to a much larger 
sum than the Committee had supposed possible. Mr. 
Savage retained the steam-engine that was used for 
hoisting stone for the j)m*pose of raising a passenger- 
car to the top. The fee for those who ascended on foot 
was twelve and a half cents; for those who used the 
car, twenty cents. Undoubtedly Mr. Savage realized 
a lai-ge profit from this experiment. 

The Committee, by their chairman, Charles Wells, 
say, in their report, made and adopted June 17, 181:5 : 
" From the commencement of Mr. Savage's contracts 
to the end, he has appeared desirous to give satisfac- 
tion, and to exert his best efforts for the fulfilment 
of his engagements ; and your Committee believe that 
the work is faithfully and substantially done; that the 
materials used are equal to the samples referred to in 
the contracts for doing the work; and that, after an 
examination of the whole structure by the Directors, 
they will be satisfied with the work, accept the Monu- 
ment, and authorize the President of the Association 
to accept the contracts." With regard to the Masonic 
monument, they say: "After mature deliberation, it 
was determined that, instead of placing a tablet with 
an inscription in the upper part of the Monument, as 
had been suggested by the Lodge and partially as- 
sented to by the Committee, leave Avas granted to 
erect a small marble monument in the hollow cone of 
the Bunker Hill Monument, on the ground floor, 
directly in front of the entrance door, — a location 
favorable for those who may visit the Monument, and 



342 HISTORY OF THE 

are unable from infirmity or age to ascend to its sum- 
mit. To this proposition the Lodge has acceded. 
A marble monument — a facsimile of the one orig- 
inally erected by the Lodge — is now completed and 
placed in its destined position. There may it remain 
to perpetuate the memory of the illustrious dead, and 
a lasting memento of brotherly love." 

The Secretary, as one of the Committee on the Fair, 
raised a subscription of fifty-three hundred dollars 
towards erecting the iron fence to enclose Monument 
Square and the granite steps leading to it. The fence 
was planned by Isaiah Rogers, and erected by Charles 
M. Cummings. On July 3, 1844, the President, the 
Secretary, and Robert G. Shaw were appointed " a 
Committee with full powers to cause trees and shrubs 
to be set out on and around the square, and otherwise 
to improve and ornament the grounds in such manner 
as they may deem expedient." There being no funds 
to meet these expenditures, the Secretary advanced 
the money required on the j^ledge by the Association 
of the receipts from the fees of visitors. The sum 
advanced amounted to about 14^000. 

At the annual meeting in 1847, Mr. Buckingham, de- 
clining re-election, G. Washington Warren was elected 
President, and Joseph H. Buckingham Secretary; and 
Mr. Buckingham, Sen., was elected a Director, and in 
1855 was elected a Vice-President, which oflSce he 
held till his decease in 1861. The change in these 
offices was the occasion of the passage of the folio \v- 
lowing Resolutions: — 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 343 

On motion of "W". W. Wheildox, Esq., it was, 

Resolved unanimously, That the members of this Associa- 
tion do heartily reciprocate the sentiments expressed by the 
late President in his letter of this day declining a re-election, 
after twelve years' service, to the office which he has filled 
for so long a period Avith such ability and success. 

That the thanks of this Association be presented to the 
Hon. Joseph T. Buckingham for the fidelity and unwearied 
zeal with which he has watched over its interests ; and that 
the Association will ever hold his name in grateful remem- 
brance, regarding him as one of the most efficient agents in 
the completion of this great commemorative structure, so 
honorable to our country, and so admirably designed to per- 
petuate the principles of the American Revolution. 

Resolved unanimously. That the thanks of this Association 
be presented to G. Washington Wareen, Esq., for the 
faithful manner in which he has discharged the duties of his 
office as Secretary for eight years past ; and particularly for 
his judicious and valuable services in superintending the 
laying out and improving of the grounds of the Association 
around the Monument. 

This being the year of the organization of the city of 
Charlestown, there was a celebration of the anniversary 
of the Battle of Bunker Hill by the city government, 
at which Rev. Starr King delivered the oration, and 
Paul Willard, Jr., a poem. Mr. A. W. Putnam, a 
grandson of General Israel Putnam, was present as an 
invited guest, and announced the intention to present 
to the Association a sword worn by the veteran hero in 
the Kevolutionary war. This valuable memorial was 
subsequently received, with a letter authenticating it, 
both of which have been carefully preserved. The 
same year was marked by the visit of James K. Polk, 



344 HISTORY OF THE 

President of the United States, who was received on 
Monument Square, which was handsomely decorated. 
Mr. Warren, the Mayor, extended to the President 
a cordial welcome, in the presence of a large assembly, 
to which the President made a courteous reply. 

Mr. JSTathaniel P. Russell, the Treasurer, died July 
3, 1848. He was present at the annual meeting, a 
little more than a fortnight before, and appeared some- 
what enfeebled. He was undoubtedly conscious of his 
increasing infirmity, as he tendered the resignation of 
his office. But the Association would not listen to 
his proposal, and he was persuaded to withdraw it. 
At the annual meeting in 1849, his son, Samuel Ham- 
mond Russell, was elected to the office, and he has 
most acceptably filled his father's place to this time. 
Long may he live to perform for the Association the 
less arduous duty. 

Seasonable arrangements were made by the Asso- 
ciation in 1850 for the appropriate celebration of 
the seventj^-fifth anniversary. The President, Dr. 
"Warren, William Appleton, William W. Wheildon, 
Henry N^. Hooper, James W. Paige, and the Secre- 
tai-y, were appointed a committee, with full powers. 
Mr. Everett, who was then President of Harvard Col- 
lege, Avas invited to deliver the oration; and the 
President of the United States, his Cabinet, and 
other distinguished gentlemen of the countrj'^, as 
well as the Governor, the judges of the Supreme 
Judicial Court, and other distinguished characters of 



BUNKER PULL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 345 

the State were invited to attend. At this point, the 
City Conncil of Charlestown proposed" to nnite with 
the Association; and, the proposition being accepted, 
the Mayor, who was the President of the Association, 
and Aldermen Benjamin Phipps and John L. Tag- 
gard, and Henry P. Fairbanks, President, and Erdix 
T. Swift, Thomas F. Holden, and Otis Clapp, mem- 
bers of the Common Council, were joined as members 
of the City Committee. 

Mr. Everett having accepted the appointment of 
orator, the question arose in the Committee as to the 
2Dlace for the public exercises. On previous occasions, 
the Association was able to obtain a considerable 
area outside of the square, which, added thereto, was 
sufficient to accommodate a great assemblage; but 
now buildings had been erected on every side. It 
was determined to resort to one of the large ship- 
houses in the Navy Yard, the use of which was freely 
granted by lion. William Ballard Preston, the Secre- 
tary of the Navy. This building is supposed to stand 
on the spot where a portion of the British troops 
landed from their boats on the morning of the 17th 
June, 1775. It was appropriately fitted up for the 
occasion, and handsomely decorated, under the direc- 
tion of Commodore John Downes, who was then com- 
manding this naval station. 

Colonel Isaac H. Wright was appointed chief mar- 
shal, and Major-General Benjamin F. Edmands had 
the direction of the military escort, Lieutenant-Colonel 
Francis Boyd acting as chief of staff. The command 
of the escort was subsequently assigned by General 

44 



346 HISTORY OF THE 

Edmands to Colonel Joseph Andrews, of Salem. 
Governor George N. Briggs ordered out the Boston 
Independent Corps of Cadets, Colonel T. C. Amory 
commander, as his body-guard. 

The day was fine. A large procession, composed 
of the invited guests, the various organizations of 
Charlestown and Boston, the faculty and students 
of Harvard College in its different departments, the 
Association, the city government, and a large body of 
citizens, was formed at City Square; and at 12 o'clock, 
the very hour aj^pointed, moved through the jDrincipal 
streets of Charlestown, which were lined with specta- 
tors and adorned with brilliant decorations, set off 
with patriotic mottoes. The children of the public 
schools were formed in line upon the sides of Monu- 
ment Square as the procession passed by. 

The ship-house had been open to ladies before the 
jDrocession arrived, and, after the building was filled to 
its utmost capacity, it presented an indescribable ap- 
pearance of beauty and splendor. Flags of all nations, 
and drapery, interspersed with hanging flowers, con- 
cealed the rudeness of its construction; the side 
stages were metamorphosed into elegant galleries; and 
what had been a huge workshop in Avhich workmen 
fashioned and built the national ships of war became 
for the occasion a modern Coliseum, filled to overflow- 
ing with a cultivated audience, assembled to com- 
memorate the dawn of the national existence. 

After music, a fervent prayer by Kev. Dr. Ellis, 
chaplain of the day, and the singing of an original 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 347 

ode, composed by F. A. Diirivage to the tone of " Hail 
Columbia," the orator was presented. 

There was a certain inimitable grace and power in 
Mr. Everett's oratory that one Avho had never heard 
him could not realize. The oration itself was carefully 
prepared, with all the touching incidents and circum- 
stances of time and place foreseen; the main subject 
w^as wrought out and unfolded clear and strong, — 
like the swift current of the stream gathering strength 
in its course ; and the Avhole possessed in that perfect 
memory of his, so that the apt words proceeded from 
his mouth in the prearranged order without the least 
perceptible eifort, but with complete accuracy and en- 
tire naturalness, with the graceful gesture suited to 
the word, and with that ease and flow and warmth of 
expression which would lead the entranced listener 
to think it was all the glowing inspiration of the 
moment. 

In his exordiuQi, he referred the audience to the 
roof which sheltered them hung with the banners 
of all nations, but none more honored than our 
own; to the dismantled ships of war which at short 
notice could be clothed " with the naval thunders of 
America; " to the park of artillery which they had just 
passed, and to other instances of striking contrast with 
the day of 1775, as. themselves monuments which told 
the same story as that erected by the Association, 
against which the storms of a thousand w^inters would 
beat in vain. The Association, he said, had established 
for one of its objects the celebration, at frequent inter- 
vals, of this anniversary; so that their obelisk should 



348 HISTORY OF THE 

never be like its Egyptian prototype, — "a silent mys- 
tery to the successive generations that gaze npon it; " 
— but that there should be frequently made upon the 
spot a liviug record and solemn attestation of the 
events and principles in honor of which it was erected. 
Alluding to the masterly orations of 1825 and 1843, 
and to the historic accounts of the battle, he proceeded 
to uufold the unexampled consequences of that event 
in their different stages, resulting iu the consummation 
of the Union by the nation's birth ; and, deprecating 
any thing that should threaten to destroy the national 
unity, he closed with this aspiration : " Let pure patri- 
otism add its bond to the bars of iron which are bind- 
ing this continent together; and, as intelligence shoots 
with the electric spark from ocean to ocean, let public 
spirit and love of country catch from heart to heart.'' 

The great concourse of people were enchained by 
the orator's eloquence for an hour and a quarter, 
with frequent interruptions of genuine applause. 
After the benediction of the chaplain had dismissed 
the vast assembly, the Association and City Council, 
with the invited guests and the subsci'ibers to the 
dinner, proceeded, under the same military escort, to 
the large hall of the Fitchburg Eaih-oad ComjDany's 
station, where thej^ sat down to a feast, to the number 
of twelve hundred. 

In due time, the President extended a welcome to 
the company assembled to celebrate the seventy-fifth 
anniversary of the battle of Bunker Hill, and to note 
its results up to that time. " Who of us,'' he asked, 
" will be permitted to take a similar observation when 
the century shall be completed?" 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 349 

In re^Dly to appropriate sentiments, speeches and 
toasts were given, in order, by the Governor, George 
N. Briggs, Mr. Justice Levi Woodbnrj, of the Su- 
23reme Court of the United States, Chief Justice 
Lemuel Shaw, of the Supreme Judicial Court of the 
State, Charles Devens, Jr., United States Marshal, in 
answer to a toast in honor of the President of the 
United States, and by John P. Bigelow, Mayor of 
Boston, and others. 

Mr Webster, who was prevented by official duties 
from attending, as Mr. Everett had been likewise 
prevented from attending the former celebrations, sent 
a thrilling patriotic letter, concluding with this toast: 

'^^ Bunker Hill 3Ionument, — May it crumble to the dust before it 
shall look down upon a country dishonored, disgraced, and ruined by 
the breaking up, by sacrilegious hands, of that Union which has 
secured its liberty, fostered its prosperity, and spread its glory and 
renown throughout the world." 

The following from Ex-Speaker Robert C. Win- 
throp, who was also detained at Washington, was 
announced: — 

" Bunker Hill and Torktown, — The opening struggle and the 
crowning triumph of the same great contest for American Liberty. 
May a common glory in the past, a common pride in the present, and 
a common interest in the future keep them always united under the 
flag of a common country." 

This celebration not only gave .great satisfaction 
throughout the country, but was the occasion of the 
one which followed after another interval of seven 
years. Colonel Perkins, Ex-President of the Associa- 
tion, who attended these exercises, was prompted on 



350 HISTORY OF THE 

that day to offer one thousand dollars towards the 
erection of a Monument on Bunker Hill to General 
"Warren. This proposition was referred to the Presi- 
dent, Mr. Everett, and Mr. Franklin Dexter, who re- 
ported in favor of a statue. Their report was accepted. 
A petition was addressed to Congress for a grant in 
compliance with the resolution passed by the Conti- 
nental Congress in 1777, that a Monument be erected 
to General Joseph Warren in Boston; but, this fail- 
ing, the Committee were authorized to receive sub- 
scriptions, and to assume the whole work. Henry 
Dexter, the sculptor, was, by the advice of Colonel 
Perkins, employed to execute the Monumental Statue. 
Arrangements were made for its inauguration June 
17, 1857, by a Committee consisting of the President, 
Mr. Everett, Dr. Wilham P. Lawrence, Mr. Wheildon, 
Mr. Winthrop, and Messrs. Peter Hubbell, F. W. 
Lincoln, Jr., T. T. Sawyer, and J. W. Wightman. 
Colonel Thomas Aspinwall was appointed Grand 
Marshal, who had for aides General John S. Tyler 
and Colonel Newell A. Thompson. A fine Pavilion 
was erected on the north side of Monument Square to 
accommodate ten thousand. Mr. James Lawrence was 
Chief Marshal of the grounds. The Committee and 
invited guests assembled at the State Ilonse. The 
Legislature had appointed a joint Committee with full 
powers to make arrangements for the reception of 
distinguished visitors. As on the two preceding cele- 
brations, the President of the United States and his 
Cabinet, the Vice-President and Senators, and the 
Governors of the States, were invited. 



^^^(^L^(6<W-^ /5 J-i^i^ 



/ 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 351 

The procession started at 12 noon precisely, under 
a fine military escort tendered by the City of Charles- 
town, Hon. Timothy T. Sawyer, Mayor, nnder the com- 
mand of Colonel Charles B. Rogers. The famous 
Seventh Eegiment of jSTew York, under Colonel A. 
Duryea and Lt.-Colonel M. Lefferts, formed a con- 
spicuous part of the escort. The Masonic Fraternity, 
various societies and institutions, and a large body of 
citizens composed the procession, which surpassed 
even those of the former occasions, as the crowds of 
spectators on the line and the splendor of the decora- 
tions of the streets exceeded those before. At three 
o'clock the exercises on the ground commenced, at 
about the same hour that the battle began there 
eighty-two years before. Rev. Dr. James "Walker, 
then President of Harvard College, officiated as the 
ChajDlain, as his Predecessor did the day before the 
battle, when the troops were about to leave the Col- 
lege quarters for the uncertain conflict. Mr. Everett 
gave the address of Presentation of the Statue to the 
Association, in his finest and most eloquent manner. 
The President made the address of reception. John 
T. Heard, as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of 
Massachusetts, performed the Masonic ceremonies, 
and addresses were made by him, by Governor Henry 
J. Gardner, by Mr. Winthrop, and several of the dis- 
tinguished strangers, — all filled with most patriotic 
sentiments. 

Colonel Perkins did not live to witness the execu- 
tion of the work which he originated. He died Jan- 
uary 11, 1854, in the ninetieth year of his age. In 



352 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 

addition to his fame as an eminent merchant, a 
patriotic citizen, and the first gentleman of his time, 
his name will be gratefully remembered, not only as 
an instrumental founder of the Association, but as the 
one who gave to it an example, and led the way in 
the commemoration of illustrious men by erecting 
monumental statues to their memory. 

A full account of this celebration was published by 
the Association in a volume edited by Mr. Wheildon, 
and entitled " The Inauguration of the Statue of 
General Warren on Bunker Hill; " a book which may 
always be consulted with interest as giving a true 
index of the real feeling of the community, showing 
an ardent love of country at a period so near the 
impending crisis. 

The theme of all the orations and speeches on 
Bunker Hill is what Mr. Webster said the Monument 
should ever remind us of, — the Liberty and the glory 
of the country. " Here upon Bunker Hill was laid the 
corner-stone of American Independence." Here is the 
nation's landmark, the primal point of observation, 
where, at frequent intervals in the long line of the 
future, whoever shall be deemed most worthy shall 
speak on this anniversary, in behalf of and to the 
people of America, of the great blessings of their 
inheritance, and of their bounden duty to transmit 
them unabridged to posterity. 




Enfi by AH Ritchie W Y 




REPRESENTATIVE FROM MASS. 




CHAPTER XV. 

It is when the hour of conflict is over, that History comes to a right 
understanding of the strife, and is ready to exclaim, " Lo, God is here, and 
"we knew it not." 

ALBERT EDWARD, Prince of Wales, and 
Heir Apparent of the British throne, made 
a visit to Bunker Hill, with his full accompanying 
suite, October 19, 1860, the seventy-ninth anniversary 
of the surrender of Coi'nwallis to Washington at 
Yorktown, which was the termination of the struggle 
of separation from the Mother Country. This coinci- 
dence, entirely accidental, might yet almost be said to 
have been Providential; at least it might be regarded 
as an auspicious omen of permanent peace between 
England and America. 

An invitation from the President was forwarded to 
the Prince by Mr. Everett, and it was arranged that 
after visiting Cambridge the Royal party should go 
to Bunker Hill. The reception was informal and 
without ceremony, as the Duke of IS^ewcastle on be- 
half of His Royal Highness had uniformly insisted 
should be the case during the whole American tour. 
After the Prince and his suite had each written his 
name in the Visitors' Book, and had seen the statue 
of General Warren, the President conducted his 

45 



354 HISTORY OF THE 

Eoyal Highness to the interior of the Monument, 
where he explained its construction, and also the 
reason for the placing of the model of the Masonic 
Monument where it stands, and then passed outside 
upon the walk within the inner enclosure. As the 
Prince, apart from the rest, was viewing the objects 
of interest as pointed out, and was shown the British 
ensign flying for the first time from the top by the 
side of the American flag, he observed, " This Monu- 
ment was not erected to our glory." " True, your 
Highness," replied the President, " but it marks the 
birth of a kindred nation, which will ever own its 
affection for the mother-country, and as an ally will 
prove as valuable as though she were still a part of 
her." To this remark his Royal Highness, in appro- 
priate words, gave his cordial assent. After the visit 
was over, the Prince, in passing through the great 
crowd of spectators, was loudly cheered. 

From Bunker Hill the party proceeded to the rooms 
of the Massachusetts Historical Society, where its 
President, Mr. Winthrop, showed to his Royal High- 
ness the various works and memorials of historic 
interest, and called his special attention to the two 
swords which were worn on the day of the Battle of 
Bunker Hill, — the one by Colonel Prescott, and the 
other by Captain Linzee, who commanded the "Falcon," 
one of the British ships of war that fired upon the 
American redoubt, and which the maiTiage of the 
two grandchildren — William H. Prescott, the his- 
torian, and a grand-daughter of Captain Linzee — had 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 355 

brought together, and crossed in perpetual union. ISTo 
more fitting ilkistration could have been furnished to 
tliis most distinguished party of the genuine feeUng 
of friendsliip and good-will which the American people 
desired to manifest; and, following the visit to Bunker 
Hill, it was most timely and felicitous. 

It is said that his Royal Highness and suite were 
particularly pleased with their reception in Boston, 
and with the courteous and cordial attentions extended 
on her behalf by her Mayor, Hon. Frederic W. Lin- 
coln, a Director of the Association, who made them 
feel quite at home, as if they were in an English town. 
At any rate, the sending to the Prince, after his return 
home, of a suitable memento of his remarkable visit 
to Bunker Hill, was the occasion of eliciting an 
expression of reciprocal regard in high quarters pecu- 
liarly welcome at the time, as the following corre- 
spondence will show : — 

7 Monument Square, 
Charlestown, Mass., Dec. 10, 1860. 

His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, — 

I most respectfully beg leave to present to your Royal 
Highness the accompanying Parchment, to testify the ap- 
preciation by the Government of the Bunker Hill Monument 
Association of the memorable visit to Bunker Hill on the 
19th of October last. The original, of which this is an ex- 
act copy, — the autographs of your Royal Highness and suite 
being taken from the Register and placed thereon, — is kept 
for public inspection in the office of the Monument, there to 
be carefully preserved in perpetuam memoriam rei, and in 
cordial commemoration of the noble sentiment uttered by 
your Royal Highness on this celebrated spot. 



356 HISTORY OF the 

It has been thought that a facsimile of this memorial 
would not be unacceptable to Your Royal Highness, and ac- 
cordingly, at the suggestion of the Honorable Edward Everett, 
and of the Honorable Robert C. Winthrop, Vice-Presidents 
of the Association, and many others, I do herewith tender it, 
with sentiments of my most profound respect, and with the 
most hearty congratulations of us all upon the welcome visit 
with which our country has been honored, and the happ}'" 
return of your Royal Highness to our Eatherland. 

G. Washington Wareen, 

President of the Bunker Hill Monument Association. 

The foregoing was forwarded by Mr. Everett, with 
the accompanying parcel and a letter from himself, 
to his Grace the Duke of Il^ewcastle, and subsequently 
the following letters were received from his Grace and 
from General Bruce: — 

Downing St., Feb. 8, 1861. 

My deak Mr. Everett, — About ten days ago', I re- 
ceived from you a roll of paper, which, with an enclosure for 
the Prince of Wales, from the Hon. G. Washington Warren, 
contained a letter to myself from you of date 10th December. 

You probably sent it by a private hand, and I only mention 
the interval between the date of your letter and my receipt 
of it, that you may not suppose I neglected the parcel. I 
sent it to the Prince at Cambridge without delay. 

I assure you the Queen and Prince Consort have felt very 
deeply all the kindness — may I not say affection? — which 
was shown to the Prince of Wales during his late most inter- 
esting and remarkable visit to the United States, and I find 
that I by no means overrated, in my conversations with you 
and others, the effect which that kindness would produce in 
this country. 

That effect has been very remarkably shown in the feelings 
which the sad events now occurring in your country have 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 357 

elicited. Time was, and that not long past, when you might 
have heard in every society jeers at the supposed failure of 
your institutions, and even exultation at the prospect of your 
pride being humbled and your greatness lowered. Noav every 
account is looked for with the greatest anxiety, and I believe 
the desire that you may ride through the storm unharmed is 
all but universal. I have heard a Frenchman express his 
utter inability to comprehend " such foolish generosity and 
blindness to our own interests," as not to wish the utter dis- 
ruption of the States. 

If I may be allowed to speak of my own sentiments, I can 
assure you that all I saw during the few weeks spent in 
America has created an interest in my mind for the welfare 
of the country that I read your newspapers with a j)ain 
which could only be exceeded b}^ the news of disasters to 
my own dear land. I sadly fear you have great troubles 
yet to come ; but to learn from you (if you will ever spare 
me a few liues) that you have better hopes would be a great 
relief. 

Believe me always, my dear Mr. Everett, 

Yours very sincerely, 

Newcastle. 



Wadingley Hall, Cambridge. 

My dear Mr. Everett, — I am desired by the Prince of 
Wales to thank you and the members of the Bunker's Hill 
Committee for the document you kindly forwarded at their 
instance for his acceptance, commemorative of His Royal 
Highness's visit to the Monument erected there. Of all 
the many agreeable recollections connected with his grati- 
fying tour in the United States, none are more cherished 
than those attaching to his sojourn in your interesting city, 
and all such memorials of it possess a peculiar value in his 
eyes. 

We liave had the gratification of making the acquaintance 
of your son at the University, who bids fair I believe to tread 



358 HISTORY OF THE 

in the footsteps of his distinguished father, and to prove him- 
self not unworthy of his descent. 

I say nothing about your politics, except that 1 most un- 
feignedly hope that the present dissensions between different 
sections of the country may speedily disappear. 

Believe me, my dear Mr. Everett, 

Very faithfully yours, 

R. Beuce. 



Upon the publication of the proceedings of the 
Association, at the annual meeting in 1861, a hand- 
somely bound copy was presented to the Prince 
through the Minister Pleuipotentiary of the United 
States, Mr. Adams, who subsequently transmitted 
a copy of the letter received by him in acknowledg- 
ment, as follows: — 

Buckingham Palace, 

September 29, 1861. 

Sir, — Absence from England has prevented me from 
having the honor of acknowledging at an earlier period the 
receipt of Your Excellency's letter of the 11th inst. The 
Prince of Wales, who returned last night from the Continent, 
desires me to thank you for the communication in question, 
and to request that Your Excellency will have the goodness 
to express to the Bunker's Hill Monument Association of 
Boston His Royal Highness's sense of the obligation conferred 
upon him by the transmission for his acceptance of the volume 
which accompanied 3^our letter. 

I have the honor to be, Sir, 

Your most obedient, humble servant, 

R. Beuce, Major- General, 

To His Excellency the Hou. C. F. Adams, &c., Legation of the United 
States. 



BUNKER HTLL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 359 

It is gratifying to reflect that the Association were 
the means of eliciting by this correspondence, before 
the outbreak of the civil war, so hearty an expression 
of good-will and sympathy from the distinguished 
personages so near the British Throne. However 
credulously some of the leading Statesmen and poli- 
ticians of England might have listened to the sugges- 
tions referred to in the Duke's letter, it is now well 
known that the Queen and the people of England 
favored the cause of the United States. They were 
true to the instincts of Humanity. 

The error of the Seceding States in seeking to 
absolve themselves from allegiance to the N^ational 
Government, and to form a new confederation upon 
the basis of slavery as the coi*ner-stone, was owing to 
the false education and enforced public sentiment 
which had been sedulously promoted by the aspiring 
politicians of the South for a generation. The more 
perfect Union formed by the people of the United 
States by the adoption of their Constitution was in- 
variably spoken of by them as a Confederacy; the 
National Government they called the Federal Gov- 
ernment; they spoke of the Sovereign States; but 
they did not own they had a Country. This studied 
effort to de-nationalize their own section produced 
at last its baneful consequences. 

Thus they claimed that any of the States had the 
right to leave the " Confederacy " at pleasure, and 
whenever the sectional power of the Slave States as 
a unit should cease to be predominant in all the 



360 HISTORY OF THE 

branches of the General Government, they declared 
their purpose of secession. On the accession of 
President Lincoln, they deemed the time had come, 
and they undertook to execute their long-cherished 
design. 

In looking back upon the course of public opinion 
in those States, in the light of the pernicious doctrines 
inculcated for a third of a century, it cannot be denied 
that these men were sincere in their views; their 
bravery and self-denial showed how earnest they 
were in defending them. Still the union sentiment 
and love of the whole country were fondly cherished 
by niany hearts in the discontented States, and yielded 
only to the coercive spirit of the madness ;which ruled 
the hour. The excited leaders, in order to change 
the almost irre]3ressible feeling of loyalty into aversion, 
caused the flag of the nation to be trampled under 
foot, or to be torn in pieces before the people, — an 
indignity which, if it had been offered or attempted 
in a foreign land, or at home by a foreign power, 
would have roused their own indignation and resent- 
ment. 

It was a fitting time therefore for the Association 
on its first anniversary, in 1861, after the attempted 
secession had assumed the formidable appearance of 
war, to uplift the flag of the nation from above the 
summit of the Monument erected to its glory. This 
was done with the most imposing ceremony possible, 
in order to render it an inspiring occasion during 
the dubious time. A mast seventy feet long, sur- 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 361 

mounted by a gilt ball, had been prepared and bolted 
to the upper courses of the Monument, so that a flag 
of the largest size might clear its apex. 

A great concourse of people, enthusiastic in their 
loyalty, gathered around the base of the Monument at 
nine o'clock in the morning of that glorious day. An 
appropriate prayer for the occasion was made by Rev. 
James B. Miles. A select choir, organized by Wil- 
liam H. Kent, sung a concerted piece, entitled " The 
Rock of Liberty." The President made a short open- 
ing address to His Excellency John A. Andrew, Gov- 
ernor of Massachusetts, in which he predicted the 
failure of the Rebellion in the following language: 
" Belief in a beneficent Providence assures to us the 
ultimate success of the issue. Order is Heaven's first 
law. If, in the old countries, forms of government, in 
themselves objectionable, are patiently submitted to 
by intelligent populations for the blessings of peace, 
HERE, where the best form is established which reason 
and experience can contrive, the reflecting judgment, 
the incalcidable interests, and the restored affections 
of the people will at last unite to preserve it for the 
good of the whole country. Surely our substantial 
fabric of society, this system of law, of order, of cult- 
ure, of progress and happiness, — the growth of a cen- 
tury, — the associations of what to us is America, 
will not be destroyed for the wanton purpose of at- 
tempting new combinations. As well might one pro- 
pose to batter down this Monument to its base, with 
the view^ of rearing from its disjointed materials a 
structure more firm, more appropriate, and more 

46 



362 HISTOEY OF THE 

majestic, as to think' of dissolving the Union for the 
purpose of constructing one or more Confederations 
that would not last long enough to claim the respect 
of the world, or even their own." At the close of his 
address, the President requested the Governor to un- 
furl the flag. 

Governor Andrew commenced his reply as fol- 
lows: — 

" Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Bunker Hill Monu- 
ment Association, — 

" The request of your patriotic society, which with pious 
and loyal devotion has preserved this silent granite to stand 
for ever in this Mecca of the returning American Patriot, 
and the approbation of the people of this historic town, is 
more than command, on the seventeenth of June, to the 
Chief Executive of Massachusetts. 

" Obedient to your request, I am here to-day, present as 
the humble but official representative of this venerable and 
renowned Commonwealth, attended by the gentlemen of the 
Council and by the representatives of our military arm, 
proud also to be surrounded by gentlemen of the army and 
navy, whose presence adds greater significance of the day, 
whose valor has illustrated the American name upon all seas, 
and who have followed that starry flag which shall stand for 
ever while time shall endure, as a sign of the pious love of 
man and God which distinguished the fathers of the Ameri- 
can Republic." 

After recalling the scenes of the Revolution, and 
referring to the then impending civil strife, he closed 
his eloquent address as follows : — 

" If this Monument needed a voice, if it does not now speak 
with silent but most mysterious and most eloquent organ. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 363 

then let our country's flag, as it crowns the pinnacle of its 
loftiest height, speak for it. Obedient, therefore, to the re- 
quest of this Association, and to the impulse of my own heart, 
I spread aloft the blazing ensign of the Republic, testifying 
for ever, to the last generation of men, of the rights of man- 
kind, and of constitutional liberty and law. Let it rise, until 
it shall surmount the capital of the column ; let it float on 
every wind, to every sea and every shore ; from every hill- top 
let it wave ; down every river let it run. Respected it shall 
be in Charlestown, Massachusetts ; and in Charleston, South 
Carolina ; on the Mississippi and on the Penobscot ; in New 
Orleans as in Cincinnati ; in the Gulf of Mexico as on Lake 
Superior, and by France and England, now and for ever. 
Catch it, ye breezes, as it swings aloft : fan it, every wind 
that blows, clasp it in your arms, and let it float for ever as 
the starry sign of 'Liberty, now and for ever, one and in- 
separable.' " 

As the Governor then pulled the rope, which 
loosened the knot high above, the flag leaped from 
the narrow compass into which it had Ipeen pent up, 
and spread out large and beautiful to the morning 
breeze, the multitude cheering and waving their hand- 
kerchiefs with frantic enthusiasm. Gihiiore's Band 
played the " Star-spangled Banner," the words of 
which were immediately after sung, Mr. Frank A. 
Hall, with his clear-sounding voice, leading ofl*, and 
the ladies joining in the chorus. Then " America " 
was sung in the same style and with the same effect. 
It was a spectacle worthy of Bunker Hill, and of her 
heaven-born mission, — sublime and stirring enough 
to have fixed in loyalty any swerving Southern heart, 
could it only have been brought within its inspiring 
reach. 



364 HISTORY OF THE 

There was an incident of historic significance con- 
nected with this ceremony, — the presence of Colonel 
Fletcher Webster, commanding the Twelfth Regi- 
ment of Massachusetts volunteers, then on their way 
to the field of action. He was the only surviving son 
of the great Statesman and orator: his other son had 
died before for his country in the Mexican war. The 
Governor presented him to the great assembly. He 
would have been gladly heard if only for his father's 
sake. But he had an eloquence and a mission all his 
owm. He uttered a few strong, thrilling sentences 
with deep emotion, as if with a presentiment that he 
was for the last time treading the sacred ground. 
He said, in closing: "I now stand again at the base 
of the Monument, and renew once more on this na- 
tional altar vows, not for the first time made, of devo- 
tion to my country, its constitution and union. 

" I feel the inspiration which breathes around this 
spot; I feel the awful presence of the great dead, who 
speak to us out of this hallowed ground; they call to 
us with voices more impressive to us than human, to 
show ourselves not unworthy sons. From this spot 
I take my departure, like the mariner commencing his 
voyage, and wherever my eyes may close they will be 
turned hitherward toward this North; and, in what- 
ever event, grateful will be the reflection that this 
Monument still stands, — still, still is gilded by the 
earliest beams of the rising sun, and that still depart- 
ing day lingers and plays on its summit for ever." 

Colonel Webster sealed his patriotic devotion with 
his blood, at Bull Run, August 30, 1862. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 365 

Others descended from or nearly akin to the found- 
ers and officers of the Association gave their lives to 
the cause, as General Thomas G. Stevenson, Colonel 
Robert G. Shaw, Lt.-Colonel Waldo Merriam, Cap- 
tain N. B. Shurtleff, Lieutenant H. F. "Wolcott, and 
Joseph P. Hubbell. There were others who bravely 
served in the field, and returned home. Dr. Luther 
V. Bell, one of the Directors, also died while on 
service in the field as a Brigade Surgeon. 

During the whole war, the Association employed 
its unremitting efiJ'orts upon the side of loyalty, and 
for the complete reconciliation of the disafi'ected sec- 
tion to the country which was so soon to be reunited. 
At the annual meeting in 1862, the President said 
in his address: "On this anniversary, we can mark 
the wonderful progress of the past year. That flag 
is now honored in every State. On the land and on 
the sea, it waves with new brilliancy. States as States 
are returning to their allegiance. The Constitution 
of the Union is in the ascendant. Let us hope that 
on the next anniversary, which will be the fortieth of 
the Association, we shall be able to hold the antici- 
pated public commemoration of a reunion of all the 
States, a restoration of the ancient feeling of mutual 
good-will, and of that essential, unreserved loyalty to 
our sacred Constitution, which has formed the people 
of the United States of America one great Republic, 
demonstrated by the passing events to be Indivisible 
and Invincible." Mr. Winthrop followed in a con- 
cise and eloquent speech, heartily indorsing the senti- 
ments expressed by the chair, and moved the printing 



366 HISTORY OF THE 

the address with the proceedings of the day, which 
was unanimously carried. 

The Association never faltered in its faith that the 
issue of the contest would be decided in favor of the 
U:t^ro]sr, on which the Monumeistt staistds. Where- 
ever the power of the nation was acknowledged, the 
people also manifested their faith by prosecuting the 
works and cultivating the arts of peace. Churches 
and school-houses were erected, — the sure muniments 
of defence, — universities of learning and institutions 
of charity were endowed. The City of Boston during 
the war erected her new City Hall, under Mayors 
Wightman and Lincoln; Charlestown established her 
Mystic Water Works; and, as if to crown and conse- 
crate the national struggle. Congress completed the 
Capitol by elevating upon its highest pinnacle the 
Statue of Liberty. 

In 1864, on a suggestion made by Mr. Wheildon, 
a Committee consisting of himself, Mr. Winthrop, 
Mr. Lincoln, Mr. J. H. Wolcott, and Dr. Winslow 
Lewis, was appointed to consider the expediency of 
re-erecting in Boston the Beacon Hill Monument, 
which was built in 1790, and was taken down in 1810, 
in consequence of the reduction of the hill upon which 
it stood. This Committee applied to the Legislature 
for an additional act, which was passed, and was 
formally accepted by the Association at the annual 
meeting in 1865. This act is in these words: — 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 367 

COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS. 

In the Year one tliousand eight hundred and sixty-fice. 

An Act, 

In addition to an Act to incorporate the Bunker Hill Monu- 
ment Association. 

Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Represeiitatives in 
Greneral Court assembled^ and hy the authority of the same 
as follows : — • 

Sect. 1. That the Bunker Hill "Monument Association be, 
and they hereby are, authorized, on some suitable site to be 
selected and provided by them, to rebuild the Beacon Hill 
Monument, which was in seventeen hundred and ninety built 
by the citizens of Boston " to commemorate that train of 
events which led to the American Revolution, and finally 
secured liberty and independence to the United States," and 
to take such legal and proper measures as may be necessary 
to effect their object ; provided, that said Association shall not 
be authorized to rebuild said Monument on any land belong- 
ing to the City of Boston, without the consent of its public 
authorities first obtained. 

Sect. 2. That, for the purpose expressed in the foregoing 
section, the said Bunker Hill Monument Association are 
hereby authorized to take and receive the four tablets or in- 
scriptions, formerly composing a part of said Beacon Hill 
Monument, now in the Doric Hall of the State House ; and 
the Sergeant-at-Arms for the time being is authorized and 
empowered to deliver the same to said Association, its Com- 
mittee or agent, whenever he is satisfied said tablets are to 
be used in rebuilding said Monument, and are required for 
that purpose. 

Approved by the Governor, 

John A. Andrew. 

March 28, 1865. 



368 HISTORY OF THE 

Although the trust reposed by this act has not yet 
been fulfilled, the appointment of a Committee, a year 
before the civil war terminated, to consider the ex- 
pediency of reproducing this Monument, is a signal 
proof not only of the faith of the Association in the 
happy result, but of its steadfast purpose to do every 
thing in its power to perpetuate the memory of the 
early events of our country's history, and thus add 
new incentives to patriotism. 

The last time that the flag was displayed from the 
elevated mast was on November 25, 1866, the day set 
apart by the Proclamation of President Johnson as a 
day of National Thanksgiving for the cessation of the 
Pebellion. The mast was soon after taken down, 
having fully subserved its purpose, and the Monu- 
ment presented its original appearance. In the spring 
of 1867, a liberty-pole was erected on the square one 
hundred and forty feet high, and about sixty feet dis- 
tant from the north-easterly corner of the Monument. 
On the cross-bar was lettered the motto, "Liberty 
and Union:" "1775, 17th of June, 1867." A flag 
was first displayed on the anniversary in 1867. This 
arrangement was made by the Standing Committee as 
an experiment, in order to relieve the Monument from 
the disparaging efi'ect, in an artistic point of vieAV, by 
providing instead a way of displaying the flag from a 
liberty -pole near by. It was removed in 1874; and 
two flags are now, on occasions, hung from poles put 
out of the side windows of the Monument, which 
interrupts the outline of its beautiful proportions. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 369 

The observance of the centennial anniversary was 
in contemphition for j^ears before its advent. At the 
preceding- anniversary, in 1874, Mr. "Wixthkop wa.s 
elected orator by the Association; and the Standing 
Committee, consisting of the President, Treasurer, 
Secretary, and thirteen Directors, were instructed to 
make all the other necessary arrangements. Mr. Win- 
throp, feeling compelled, by necessary absence abroad, 
to decline the honor, Charles Devens, Jr., one of 
the Directors, and a Justice of the Supreme Judicial 
Court of Massachusetts, who served as Brigadier- 
General of Volunteers in the Kebellion, was appointed 
by the Standing Committee in his place. The Commit- 
tee occupied much time during the year in making the 
arrangements which devolved upon the Association. 

Fortunately, by the legislative act of Union passed 
in 1873, which was accepted by the voters of Boston 
and Charlestown on the day of the State election, the 
two cities became one on the first Monday of Janu- 
ary, 1874, and thus the government of the metropolis 
could properly take a prominent part in the due ob- 
servance of the first centennial anniversary. It cor- 
dially co-operated in making its ari-angements upon a 
magnificent scale. The City Council appropriated for 
the purpose the munificent sum of thirty-five thou- 
sand dollars, which, by the good management of the 
Mayor, Samuel C. Cobb, and the committee acting 
with him, was not quite expended. 

In 1873, the Association, on the motion of Colonel 
Henry Walker, a Director, ordered that the Direc- 

47 



370 HISTORY OF THE 

tors petition the Legislature that the 17th of June 
be declared by law a legal holiday. In 1874, the 
Legislature, on its consideration, referred the sub- 
ject to the next Legislature (1875), which only 
passed the resolve that it should be made a holi- 
day for that year. It also made a liberal appro- 
priation for the entertainment of distinguished guests 
of the State, and authorized the Governor to order a 
review of all the volunteer troops of the State on the 
day of the celebration. Governor Gastoist readily 
acceded. Thus, by the combined action of the State, 
the Metropolis, and the Association, the finest military 
and civic display took place that had ever been wit- 
nessed at au}^ ceremonial on the continent. 

As the city and the Association has j^ublished each, 
in an elegant style, a full account of this, the grandest 
of all popular celebrations, it is sufficient in this His- 
tory, referring to what may be readily found in those 
volumes, to briefly glance at some iucidents of the 
occasion. 

As the grand procession organized by the city, 
under the lead of General OsBORisr, its Chief Marshal, 
and his numerous stafi" and corps of assistants, passed 
over the long route of about seven miles, commencing 
at the new Boston, Avhich had within the half-century 
risen up from the Bay, and thence along the his- 
toric streets and places of the olden time, all profusely 
decorated with flags and densely packed with im- 
mense throngs of spectators, who hailed with special 
welcome their brethren in arms from the Southern 
States, the enthusiasm was irrepressible. Music and 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 371 

cheers filled the air. The perfect order of the march, 
the beauty and variety of the uniforms and equipages, 
and the number of distinguished characters, and the 
hosts still marching on, astonished the sight. All the 
glories and memories of the former celebrations seemed 
to be concentrated in this. 

It was half-past six o'clock before Colonel Henky 
Walker, the Chief Marshal of the Association, called 
to order the great assembly in the Pavilion in front of 
the Monument. After a devout prayer by Rev. Dr. 
RuFUS Ellis, the pastor of the First Church in Bos- 
ton, which in the early settlement first worshipped in 
Charlestown, and after the singing of a hymn, " Prayer 
before Battle," by the Apollo Club, the President pre- 
sented the orator of the day. As a great-grandson of 
one who, bearing the self-same name, was one hundred 
years before a member of that renowned and patriotic 
Committee of Safety, and approved, to the ruin of his 
private fortune, of the order given to fortify that hill; 
as an accomplished scholar, versed in knowledge, 
literature, and in the history of his country; and as 
a gallant soldier, who buckled on his sword and 
marched to the field to maintain the country's in- 
tegrity, and then returned to adorn the highest judicial 
office in the State, — he spoke to the attentive auditory 
with authority, and with all the unction, grace, and 
power which the theme and the occasion could inspire. 
As he spoke for nearly an hour, without once refer- 
ring to his notes, and epitomizing for lack of time his 
prepared oration, he enchained in rapt admiration 
General Sherman and the other distinguished men 



372 HISTORY OF THE 

around, and the great mass before them. Vice-Pi'esi- 
dent Wilson said, and these were ahuost the last 
pnblic words he spoke, " ]N'o words uttered by Web- 
ster were better calculated to do more good, in all this 
broad land, than are the words uttered here to-daj^, 
in the present condition of the country." 

Owing to the too late hour at which the exercises 
commenced, there were but few responses, and those 
quite brief, from the representatives of other States. 
These were interspersed by singing by the Apollo 
Club of an original hymn by Chai-les James Sprague, 
Esq., and other songs. Colonel Walker pronounced 
the prize ode by George Sennott, Esq., a concluding 
hymn by the President was sung, and then the great 
gathering was dismissed by Rev. Phillips Brooks, 
Kector of Trinity Church. For the first time the 
festivity of a dinner with patriotic toasts and speeches 
was dispensed with. There were, however, many 
entertainments in the evening, at which the numerous 
guests exchanged hearty greetings with their gener- 
ous hosts. 

The Masonic Orders and Lodges did not appear in 
the procession, as so many of the Fraternity were in 
the military and civil organizations. But the Officers 
of the Grand Lodge of the State appeared; the Grand 
Master, Percival L. Everett, wearing the Masonic 
apron of the Grand Lodge which belonged to Gen- 
eral Joseph Warren, and the late Dr. Winslow Lewis 
weai'ing the same Masonic aj)ron which Lafayette 
wore fifty years before. Rev. Dr. Samuel K. Loth- 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 373 

rop, Hon. Marshall P. "Wilder, Francis C. Whiston, 
the toast-master of 1825, and a few other veterans, 
who were in this procession, were also in that of the 
half-century celebration. With what emotion must 
they have contrasted the day of 1875 with that of 
1825 — the great growth and improvement of the 
enlarged metropolis; the route extended to give room 
to the longer procession and the multiplied specta- 
tors; the country, too, with her new-born States 
stretching out to the Pacific Coast, arid yet brought 
nearer together by the new ties of the railroad, and, 
greatest of wonders, the electric telegraph, waiting 
to transmit, in an instant, the latest news all over 
the globe! 

When Lafayette, in his toast at the semi-centennial 
anniversary, predicted that the toast at this centennial 
jubilee would be "To Enfranchised Europe," he did 
not conceive, any more than did his gratified enter- 
tainers, of the miraculous change which the spirit of 
Liberty would then have wrought in the United States. 
It did not then seem credible that slavery, entailed 
upon the Southern States by the mother countrj^, to 
which the JSTorthern States had largely contributed by 
the gainful transportation of the captured Africans, 
and which had become so deep rooted in Southern soil, 
would ever be abolished by amendment to the national 
organic law. But God — with whom all things are 
possible — has manifested himself to us in the history 
of our first century, and we may surely believe that 
He will inspire and guide the national heart to solve 



374 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 

the political and social problems, and to meet the 
emergencies, of the centuries that are to follow. 

The flag of the Kepublic waves more proudly now ; 
the Monument appears the more grand and eloquent 
orator; the Declaration of Independence is a sublime 
realit}^; the Republic is in truth an exemplar. Hence- 
forth in the territory of the United States all men are 
born free and equal; and free education, equal rights, 
benevolent institutions, private munificence, and the 
kindly offices of that Charity which never faileth, will 
overcome or ameliorate that inequality of position 
and circumstances which seems to be the ordained lot 
of humanity. May He, who made of one blood all 
nations of men, harmonize and make homogeneous the 
United States of America, destined to be composed of 
all races and sects, whose boast it is, and always should 
be, that their land is the Asylum of the oppressed and 
the Home of the free! 






?*-Li 




CHAPTER XVI. 



Earth has not any thing to show more fair : 
Dull would he be of soul to pass by 
A sight so touching in its majesty. 

THE Bunker Hill Monument is a fit type 
of the national unity. Built in the form of 
a monolithic structure, but of such large propor- 
tions, and of such unique interior arrangement, as to 
compel the use of many separate blocks, it aptly illus- 
trates, in its grandeur as a single object, and in the 
beautiful adaptation and harmony of its several parts, 
the national motto, " JEJ plurihus unum y " signifying 
that out of many States there has sprung up, by a sort 
of natural growth, our glorious Union. 

It is not to be doubted that Mr.. "Webster, in his 
masterly speeches defending the Union and the Consti- 
tution, drew a sort of inspiration from the ardor with 
which, from the very first, he advocated the design of 
the Monument. I^ot only in the Senate and in the 
popular assembly, but before the Supreme Court of 
the United States also, as the important leading cases 
arose, his eloquence kindled as he had occasion to 
develop the latent powers of the Constitution, show- 
ing that this ably drawn instrument, adopted by the 
people, was eminently national in its scope and au- 



376 HISTORY OF THE 

thority, was susceptible of adaptation to every con- 
tingency, and was potent to nullify any State act 
which was inconsistent with any of its provisions. In 
his later years, he clearly demonstrated the ph^^sical 
and the moral impossibility of a peaceable secession 
of any of the States; and, though the Union has not 
continued under the temporary compromises which he 
assisted in framing, it has been carried through the 
emergencies of a stupendous war, in a great degree, 
by the beacon light which shines resplendent from his 
patriotic orations and forensic arguments. It re- 
mained for him, a few years before his lamented 
decease, to take the lead in the settlement of an 
important question with regard to the Monument. 

In the first letter issued by the Committee of Cor- 
respondence in 1823, it was suggested that the pro- 
posed Monument should contain the names and dates 
of the distinguished characters and events which 
originated the independence of the countr3^ In 1841, 
a committee of eminent men was appointed to prepare 
an inscription for a tablet to be placed in the Monu- 
ment. Though the individual members were notified 
every year of their aj^pointment, nothing was done by 
them. At the meeting of the Directors held June 
17, 1818, the matter was called up by Mr. Robert G. 
Shaw; and, upon his motion, the President was re- 
quested to fill the vacancies in the Committee caused 
by the death of Judge Story and Hon. John Quincy 
Adams; and the Committee was further authorized 
to provide the tablet and inscription agreeably to the 
original vote. The President appointed Dr. John C. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 



377 



Warren and Mr. William Appleton ; the other mem- 
bers of the Committee being Daniel Webster, Edward 
Everett, and Franklin Dexter. Mr. Everett, in the 
absence of Mr. Webster, acted as chairman, and con- 
vened several meetings, at which the President was 
present by invitation. Mr. Francis C. Gray and Mr. 
Ticknor were invited to send in their suggestions. 
At last Mr. Everett was requested to prepare the in- 
scriptions from those submitted to him, with such 
alterations as he might suggest. 

As a matter of curiosity, some of the sketches or 
studies submitted are here given. The following are 
by Mr. Gray, with Mr. Ticknor's approval : — 



(1) 


(2) 


Here 


Honor 


was the centre 


to 


of the works thrown up 


the men 


and so long defended 


of 


by the Americans 


Massachusetts 


under 


Connecticut 


Col. Peescott 


and 


June 17 


New Hampshire 


1775. 


who fell here 




fulfilling their duty 




to 




their country 




and 




mankind. 


(3) 


(4) 


The names 


Near this spot 


of those who fought here 


General Wakken 


belong to history 


and other men of New England 


and 


fell 


will outlast 


in the cause 


this stone. 


of their Country 




and of 




Freedom. 



48 



378 HISTORY OF THE 

Mr. Gray's letter accompanying the foregoing, 
written in an enthusiastic style, is worthy of preser- 
vation : — 

Friday Evening, 2d March, 1849. 

My deae, Sir, — In compliance with your request, I have 
conferred with Mr. Ticknor, and enclose, as the result, two 
sketches. 

No. 1 is designed to state the precise spot and date in the 
simplest words possible ; No. 2, as a tribute to the dead, with- 
out distinction of rank, for death knows none : all gave their 
lives, and no one could give more. It is stated that about 
one hundred were killed of Massachusetts, fifteen from Con- 
necticut, and fifteen from New Hampshire ; and it seems due 
to the States who aided the former as auxiliaries that day to 
mention their names with hers. The last words were sug- 
gested by a sentiment frequently expressed in Europe, — 
that this was the first battle ever fought solely for the main- 
tenance of popular rights ; and who knows but that centuries 
hence it may be deemed the Thermopylae not only of American 
liberty, but of freedom, wherever it shall be found ? 

Neither of us can devise an inscription with names likely 
to be at all satisfactory : that must be done by somebody else, 
if necessary. But is it necessary ? Is there not a just and 
proper pride in assuming that the names of those distin- 
guished there and the leading events of the day must be 
known to all who can read the inscriptions ? 

If a reason is needed for omitting names, it might perhaps 
be something like No. 3. 

Should any thing be put on the site of the old Monument, 
the following, suggested by Mr. W. A., would be simj)le and 

a^^propriate : — 

On 

this spot 

Warren 

fell, 

leaving the rest to history. 

Very truly yours, 

F. C. Gray. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 379 

The following were furnished by Franklin Dex- 
ter : — 

The corner-stone 

of this Monument 

was laid on the 17th June, 1825, by the 

hands of Major- General Lafayette, and 

in the presence of the survivors of the 

Battle, and on the 17th June, 1843, it 

was finished, and dedicated with the 

prayers of an assembled multitude for the 

Perpetuity of the American 

Union. 

Battle of Bunker Hill, 

June 17th, 

1775. 

From the Redoubt 

in this direction extended the 

Entrenchment 

whei*e the presence and example of 

Major-Gexkral Israel Putnam 

animated his countrymen to a 

noble resistance in the cause of 

Liberty. 

This Monument 
stands on the site of the Redoubt 
which was raised and bravely 
defended by a patriotic militia 

under the command of 

Colonel William Prescott, 

and within which was slain 

Major-General Joseph Warren, 

one of the eai'liest and most 

illustrious of the martyrs who 

fell in the contest for American 

Liberty. 



380 HISTORY OF THE 

On the 17tb of May, 1849, Mr. Everett submitted 
the following Report to the Committee : — 

It appeared to be the unanimous sense of the Committee, 
at the former meeting, that the inscription or inscriptions, 
which might be prepared for the face of the Monument, should 
be in the English language, and of the sim^^lest character ; con- 
fined to a brief indication of the object of the work. It 
seemed to be the opinion of the Committee that such facts 
as it may be necessary to state, in reference to the construc- 
tion of the work, — in consequence of the pledges given in 
the course of the erection, — might with propriety be reserved 
for a tablet to be placed in the interior of the Monument ; or 
in an apartment over an arched gate-way, at the entrance of 
the Monument Square, should the Association ever have the 
means of erecting such a building, and deem it expedient to 
do so. Suggestions were also made at the last meeting of the 
Committee, in favor of placing a stone to identify, with a suit- 
able brief inscription, the remains of the intrenchment run- 
ning north-eastwardly from the redoubt down the hill ; and 
also of placing a monumental tablet, to mark the spot where 
General Warren fell ; but the Committee came to no order on 
these points. 

Shortly after the meeting of the 23d of February, the under- 
signed was favored with a sketch of inscriptions for the sev- 
eral faces of the Monument, kindly offered for consideration 
by Hon. Franklin Dexter, a member of the Committee. Five 
drafts of inscriptions were also sent him by Dr. Warren, 
drawn up with great skill by Hon. F. C. Gray, in consulta- 
tion with Mr. William Appleton, a member of the Committee, 
and with Mr. George Ticknor. The undersigned has derived 
important aid from these sources. 

Should it be decided by the Committee to adopt the plan 
of identifying the important localities in the immediate 
neighborhood of the Monument, there will be no need of 
more than one inscription on the face of the obelisk itself, 
the object of which, of course, would be to set forth the fact 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 381 

tliat it is erected on the site of the redoubt. As Colonel 
Prescott stands in a peculiar relation to that work, ais the 
officer detached for its erection and defence, there is nothing 
invidious, but an obvious propriety, in introducing his name 
into this inscription. 

There were three Generals present on the field, not in com- 
mand, but as volunteers, aiding by their counsel and example 
the operations of the day ; viz., Pomeroy, Putnam, and War- 
ren. Less has been said of Pomeroy's participation in the 
battle than might perhaps with propriety. The anecdote of 
his dismounting when he came to Charlestown Neck, because 
he did not like to ride General Ward's horse through the 
raking fire of the British vessels, deserves for him the honor 
of being mentioned byname. Putnam's presence and activit}'" 
are undoubted, though unfortunately subject to controversy. 
With respect to the conspicuous place due to the name of 
Warren, in any permanent memorial of the battle, there can 
be but one opinion. 

Upon the whole, the undersigned is disposed to recommend 
that an inscription of the character mentioned above should 
be placed on the south side of the Monument ; that a stone 
should be placed at the commencement of the still remaining 
ridge of earth which belongs to the intrenchment ; and that 
the names of Pomeroy and Putnam should be mentioned in 
the inscription which announces its object ; and that a monu- 
mental tablet be placed on the spot, near which General 
Warren is known to have fallen, on the western side of 
the obelisk. In connection with this last suggestion, it has 
been thought by several persons interested in these memorials, 
that the remains of General Warren, which were identified a 
few years since, might be placed with propriety beneath the 
table. 

With respect to those facts connected witli the progress of 
the work which the Association is pledged to record upon the 
Monument, it would seem in better taste to introduce them 
upon a tablet to be placed within the structure ; and the 
chamber at its summit affords a convenient and appropriate 



382 HISTORY OF THE 

place. There are other interesting purposes which might 
lead the Directors of the Association, at some future period, 
should they possess the means, to erect an arch over the front 
entrance to the square, containing a room for the meetings of 
the Association and the Directors, and a place of deposit for 
the archives, and for relics and memorials of the battle. The 
walls of this room would be a very suitable place for com- 
memorative tablets recording the origin and progress of the 
work. But, in want of any present means to erect such a 
structure, it would seem useless, on this occasion, to enter 
farther into detail. 

With respect to the mode of executing the inscription upon 
the face of the Monument, the undersigned is disposed, though 
with considerable hesitation, to recommend that it should be 
placed upon a large marble tablet, — the largest that can be 
conveniently procured of one slab of white marble, — to be 
let into the face of the obelisk. The granite is of too coarse 
a grain for letters cut in the stone itself, like those on the 
Egyptian obelisks, and on the face of many marble structures 
of ancient Greece and Italy. Bronze letters in relief were 
made use of by the ancients ; and the choice would lie on the 
present occasion — in the opinion of the undersigned — be- 
tween them and a marble slab to be let into the work. 
Should the latter be adopted, the letters could be made dis- 
tinct by gold-leaf, to be renewed from time to time if neces- 
sary. 

The undersigned, with these introductory remarks, submits 
the following sketches for the consideration of the Com- 
mittee : — 

For the South Side of the Monument. 

This Monument 

stands on the site of the redoubt, 

which was raised on tlie eve of the 17th June, 1775, 

and bravely defended through that eventful day, 

by a detachment of the militia of 

New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, 

under the command of 

Coi.oxEi. William Puescott. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 383 



To mark the Remains of the Breast-work. 

This stone marks the still remaining traces of the breast-work, where 
the repeated charges of veteran troops were bravely, and for a long time 
successfully, resisted by the citizen soldiery of New England, animated by 
the presence and example of Major-Generals Pomeroy and Putnam, and 
their gallant associates of every rank. 

To indicate the Spot where Warren fell. 

Near this spot 

Major-Ghneral Joseph Warren, 

a volunteer on the 17th June, 1775, 

fell at the close of the battle. 

His remains are deposited 

beneath this stone. 

[Note. — As it is now well known that tliis spot is in the street west of Monument 
Square, this recommendation would have been impracticable.] 

West Side. 

On the 17th of June, 1825, 

Being the 50th anniversary of the battle, 

The corner-stone of this enduring structure was laid, 

in the presence of General Lafayette, 

and a large number of the veterans of the Revolution ; 

Oh the 17th of June, 1843, 

the noble pile was completed. 

A vast multitude of every age and either sex, 

grateful for their rich inheritance of civil and religious liberty, 

and determined to transmit it to their children, 

were addressed on each of these occasions, 

in a manner worthy of the place, the subject, and the man, by 

Daniel Webster. 



384 HISTORY OF THE 

On a Tablet to he placed within the Monument : — 

An Association was formed in Boston, A.D. 1823, 

for the purpose of erecting a Monument on Bunker Hill. 

Liberal subscriptions for defraying "the expense were made throughout 

the country, 
But chiefly in New England, and more especially in this State. 

The sum of ten thousand dollars each was contributed by 

Judah Touro of New Orleans, and Amos Lawrence of Boston : 

A considerable appropriation was made by the Commonwealth, 

And the amount of thirty thousand dollars, necessary to complete the work, 

was raised by the patriotic efforts of the daughters of Massachusetts. 

The services of Solomon Willard, Architect, were gratuitously rendered ; 

The corner-stone of the work was laid on the 17th June, 1825, 

With the assistance of Major- General Lafayette, 

and in the presence of numerous survivors of the battle ; 

And it was finished and dedicated on the 17th of June, 184:3, 

by the prayers of an immense multitude, 

offered up on this sacred spot, 

For the perpetuity of the American Union. 

All which is respectfully submitted by 

Edwakd Everett. 
Cambribgk, 17 May, 1849. 

Mr. Webster was present and presided at the meet- 
ing, at which Mr. Everett, as a sub-committee, made 
this report. There was a considerable discussion 
upon the merits of the several inscriptions reported, 
and also of all the others that had been submitted,, 
which were placed before the whole Committee; each 
one was the subject of more or less criticism. At last 
Mr. Webster made a few forcible remarks in his de- 
cided manner upon the impropi'iety of placing any 
inscription on the outside of the Monument; and, 
although they were directed to prepare one and were 






^ 




y^ 



^w- 










/^ /t^ /^.^^ ^^.^.^^ ^-a^ ^^^^c^^^^jt^^cy 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 385 

authorized to provide a tablet for it, the better way 
would be to report back to the Directors a resolution 
to that ejffect. He thought that it would be w^ell to 
have at some future time a brief statement engrossed 
upon parchment, and placed in some depository on 
which should be inscribed a proper title. Thereupon 
he took up a pen, and wrote upon a scrap of paper 
such a title as he would have, and also the vote for 
the Committee to pass. Upon reading what he had. 
written and putting the question, the Committee 
adopted his suggestions without objection. Mr. 
Everett preserved this paper, having made an in- 
dorsement thereon. 

At the meeting of Directors held June 18, 1849, 
Mr. Everett made an entii-ely different report from 
the one presented to the Committee, concluding with 
the following resolution in relation to an inscription, 
which was unanimously passed: — 

Resolved^ as the sense of this Board, that the great object 
for which the obelisk was erected on Bunker Hill is monu- 
mental, and not historical, and that it is not expedient that 
any record of names, dates, or events connected with the 
battle should be inscribed upon it. 

In thus settling the question of an inscription, the 
Board undoubtedly carried out the prevailing idea of 
the original projectors, that the Monument should 
commemorate an Era, to which the Battle of Bunker 
Hill led the way, rather than that mere event, how- 
ever conspicuous in history. Towards this satisfac- 
tory^ result Mr. Webster chiefly contributed. 

49 



386 HISTORY OF THE 

The construction of a Granite Lodge as a com- 
ponent part of the Monument has been under consid-^ 
eration since 1843. The principal difficulty in the 
way has been the want of agreement upon the plan 
of the building. The late Mr. George M. Dexter 
furnished a sketch of an arch, to be placed at the 
principal entrance for a gate-way, — having on one 
side a keeper's office, and on the other a large room 
which would serve for meetings of Directors, and for 
the deposit of relics and memorials. He had promised 
to furnish a complete working plan, but he did not 
live to finish his design. Mr. WilUam S. Park, a 
young architect of great promise, who has since died, 
furnished to the Committee, having the matter in 
charge, complete drawings in detail, with estimates, for 
a granite structure, containing an office and a statue 
room or Memorial Hall, to be placed within the en- 
closure. A fund had been set apart, by vote of the 
Directors, specially appropriated for the erection of 
such an edifice; but the vote was afterwards i-escinded, 
it being thought necessary to expend the money ac- 
cumulated, amounting then to about $20,000, in the 
reconstruction of the fence, and other improvements 
upon the Monument and grounds. These were done 
under the supervision of a sub-Committee of the 
Standing Committee, consisting of Richard Frothing- 
ham, P. W. Lincohi, John H. Thorndike, Edward 
Lawrence, George B. ^eal, Pranklin Darracott, and 
Osmyn Brewster. 

George Peabody contributed in his lifetime $500 to 
be set apart for this object; and, whenever a proper 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 387 

plan and location can be determined upon, the means 
can readily be obtained. "When this shall be accom- 
plished, a collection of memorials and relics, and also 
of commemorative works of art, can be made, to which 
each generation will furnish its contribution. It will 
be in the power of the Association to establish in time 
one of the most interesting depositories of historical 
memorials in the country. 

The only Revolutionary Relics that are kept within 
the Monument are the two cannon, called the Han- 
cock and Adams, which were granted to the Associa- 
tion by the act jDassed February 26, 1825. The 
history of these field-pieces is quite interesting. They 
are the only remains of the field artillery belonging 
to the British American Colonies at the beginning of 
the Revolutionary war. There were originally four of 
them, and they were deposited in the Arsenal (or 
Laboratory, as it was then called), at the corner of 
West Street, in Boston. The town being in possession 
of the British Army, it was daily expected they wouli 
be seized; and how they might be rescued from this 
danger was a subject of anxious consideration among 
the patriots. A plan was contrived, and boldly exe- 
cuted. At the time of changing the evening guard, 
the British sentinel was taken off for a short time to 
the Common, where the guard paraded. This moment 
was seized by the townsmen to enter the Laboratory, 
and remove the four field-pieces to the adjoining 
school-house of Master Holbrook, where they were 
deposited under his writing-desk all the day following, 



388 HISTORY OF THE 

and escaped the search which was made for them by 
the British officers. At evening, they were placed in 
an offal cart going into the conntry, and were soon 
bronght into active service. Two of the pieces were 
sent to Canada, and fell into the power of the British. 
The others were christened the Hancock and Adams, 
after the two leading patriots, and have found on 
Bnnker Hill an appropriate resting-place. The in- 
scription placed upon them by order of the Continental 
Congress is as follows : — 

ADAMS (or) HANCOCK. 

Sacred to Liberty. 

This is one of the four cannon which constituted the whole train of 
field artillery possessed by the British Colonies of North America at the 
commencement of the war, on the 19th of April, 1775. 

This cannon and its fellow belonged to a number of citizens of Boston ; 
were used in many engagements during the war. The other two, the 
property of the government of Massachusetts, were taken by the enemy. 

By order of the United States, in Congress assembled. May 17, 1788. 

The Legislature, in the same act, authorized the Gov- 
ernor and Council to deliver over to the Association 
two other cannon that had been used in the Revolu- 
tionary war. It was probably contemplated that four 
would be wanted to be placed at the corners of the 
platform of the Monument. All the plans for an 
obelisk showed a platform. That of Colonel Bald- 
win, which stands on the records adopted by a 
vote of the Directors, showed a platform twenty 
feet wide on each side of the Monument, with 
three steps, of the whole length, leading thereto. The 
obelisk, it is thought by many, cannot be deemed to 
be completed without such a base, which will give to 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 389 

it a more elevated and majestic appearance, and will 
also afford a very convenient reserved space for public 
occasions. 

The importance of having wide avenues leading to 
the obelisk has occupied the attention of the Associa- 
tion for the past thirty years. Before selling the two- 
thirds of the original purchase of the land, streets 
were reserved, fifty feet wide, facing the three sides 
of the Monument. JJ^early one acre of land was dedi- 
cated to public use as highways, with the expectation 
that these would be extended by the town. On the 
north side, the city of Charlestown has extended the 
street to Mystic River. On the south side, border- 
ing on High Street, and looking towards the most 
settled part of the town, the Association owned no 
land, except the reserved square. 

In 1847, the Committee upon the grounds, consist- 
ing of the President, Joseph T. Buckingham, Robert 
G. Shaw, and G. Washington Warren, recommended 
that application be made to the then city of Charles- 
town to lay out a street, not less than forty-five feet 
wide, from High Street, in front of the Monument, to 
Main Street, with an offer of an annual payment from 
the income of the Association for a term of fifteen 
years. The recommendation was adopted; and nego- 
tiations were made with the city government each 
year until 1850, when, upon a modification, made at 
the request of the then mayor, Hon. Richard Froth- 
ingham, a street, forty feet .wide, was laid out from 
High Street to Warren Street. Afterwards, in 1866, 
by a protracted and laborious negotiation, made with 



390 HISTORY OF THE 

the city government, under Hon. Charles Robinson, 
Jr., the Mayor, the street was continued to Main 
Street. Unfortunately, the original location of 
the street was made by the city with reference to 
the convenience of the landholders rather than to the 
Monument as a permanent object of observation. 
In the reduction of the width asked for by the 
Mayor to forty feet, the street is thrown too far to 
the west, so that the Monument is not in the centre. 

Subsequently, a vigorous effort was made by the 
Association to induce the city to lay out a new avenue 
from City Square, sixty feet wide, to Monument 
Square, having the centre of the Monument in a line 
with the centre of the street. A strong petition of 
the citizens came in aid. A hearing was had before 
the whole board of Mayor and Aldermen, who had 
exclusive jurisdiction, at which the Association was 
represented by the President, Mr. Wheildon, and 
Samuel S. Willson, Esq. There was a great weight 
of evidence in favor of the petition. The committee 
of the Board reported in ftivor of laying out the 
avenue as prayed for, and as the proper continuation 
of Warren Avenue, leading from Warren Bridge. 
The measure failed by a small majority. It has 
been thought that Governor Wlnthrop's statue 
misrht some time adorn the Avenue near where he 
first set up the Colonial Government. 

This avenne would give a very fine view of the 
obelisk from a great distance, presenting, from its 
angular position to the street, two of its sides, so 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 391 

that the effect upon the beholder would be much 
greater than though only one side were shown. 
There are now very few points from which this 
majestic obelisk can be seen entire, and consequently, 
as a consummate work of art, its eflPect is to a great 
degree lost. The Washington Monument in Balti- 
more is far better placed, in relation to the broad 
avenues leading to it. For the same reason, the 
Napoleon Monument in Place YendSme, Paris, 
has a more imposing appearance. But, let this 
avenue be laid out by the Park Commissioners as 
a Park avenue, connecting two squares, or by the 
Street Commissioners, as an avenue really required 
for the public convenience, and the Bunker Hill 
Monument will show itself, when thus uncovered, as 
the finest monumental work in the world. The Asso- 
ciation having done so much for the new Boston, 
in crowning her with this matchless work, may well 
require that she shall open up this desirable avenue 
to it. 

Another consideration ought to incline the city 
government to make this improvement. Bj^ an ex- 
amination of the assessors' valuation for the year 
1876, made by Samuel S. Willson, Esq., one of the 
assistant assessors, it appears that the ten acres 
of land, which the Association disposed of for the 
insignificant sum of $25,000, to relieve itself from 
debt, after deducting the streets, are now appraised 
at $608,800, and the buildings now erected thereon 
are valued at $418,000, — the whole valuation of the 
land and buildings amounting to $1,026,800. An 



392 HISTORY OF THE 

annual tax of $12,000 is received by the city, which 
it would not have received, had the Association been 
able to retain for the public benefit the whole of its 
original purchase. 

In 1860, Joseph H. Buckingham, Esq., having re- 
moved from the State, resigned the office of Secre- 
tary, A Resolution of thanks to him for his long 
and valuable services was unanimously passed. Sam- 
uel F. McCleary, Esq., was elected to the office, which 
he filled to the entire satisfaction of the Association, 
until 1871, when Albert C Fearing, the present in- 
cumbent, was elected, upon whom has devolved an 
unusual amount of arduous duty. By a recent vote, 
the Secretary of the Association is Secretary of the 
Standing Committee, and a member ex officio. Mr. 
McCleary, after his resignation as Secretary, was 
elected a Director. The Standing Committee, includ- 
ing the Secretary, now consists of sixteen members. 

In 1862, a new diploma of membership was author- 
ized; and a by-law was passed providing that new 
members might be admitted by vote of the Associa- 
tion, upon the nomination of the Directors or of the 
Standing Committee and the payment of five dollars. 
Since that time new members have been elected every 
year. The Diploma recites : — 

Be it made known by us, (he President, Treasurer, and 
Secretary of the Bunker Hill Monument Association, in- 
stituted in 1823, for the purpose of commemorating the early 
events of the American Revolution by the erection of a 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION.' 393 

monument on the ground where the action of Bunker Hill 
was fought, and by the appropriate commemoration of the 

glorious anniversary of the 17th of June, 1775, that — 

has been admitted to be a member of this Associa- 
tion. 

In witness whereof we have signed our names to this 
Diploma on this day of , in the year of our Lord 

, and of the Independence of the United States of 
America the 

An examination of the Roll of Officers of the As- 
sociation, with their terms of service, will show how 
many of the leading citizens of Boston, several of 
whom were conspicnons in pnblic life, have given 
their aid and counsel at the call of this commemora- 
tive society. Mr. Everett, whether in the different 
exalted offices he successively held, or in private 
station, which he equally adorned, served in one 
way or another the Association from its formation 
to his death, an unbroken period of forty-two years. 
The Russells, father and son, have furnished a signal 
example of the faithful and long-continued dis- 
charge of a high official trust. WilKam Tudor died 
abroad a few years after the enterprise, which he was 
the first to suggest, had been commenced. General 
H. A. S. Dearborn, also, after filling the office of 
Adjutant- General of the State, and of Mayor of 
Roxbury, severed at a later period his connection. 
He died in Portland, Maine, July 29, 1851. 

Of those now living it may be proper to refer to 
two: Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, the senior Vice- 
President, who has always evinced the deepest inter- 
est in the proper administration of the affairs of the 

50 



394 HISTORY OF THE 

Association, and of the right direction of its aims. 
He has most acceptably gi-aced one public celebra- 
tion with his eloquence, and is still depended upon 
for future occasions. Uriel Crocker, Esq., has been 
in the government for forty-four years, the longest 
period of service attained by any, with the single ex- 
ception of Mr. Theophilus R. Marvin, who was elected 
the same year with him, 1833. Mr. Crocker, as an 
officer of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic As- 
sociation, disbursed all the moneys in the building of 
the Monument while in charge of that patriotic ally. 
Since that j^eriod, he has rendered important service 
as a Director, Vice-President, and a member of the 
Standing Committee, while at the same time he has 
discharged many high trusts, and has filled a pro- 
tracted life with good deeds. Others have shown 
equal interest during their terms. In several instances, 
the sons have been chosen to succeed to their fathers, 
and in some cases even to the third generation. 

Honorary members have also been elected from 
the most distinguished men in the country, not resi- 
dents of Massachusetts. By these means, and by 
its traditional influence, the Association has assured 
its perpetuity. 

The annual meeting for the year 1875, in conse- 
quence of the great Centennial Celebration, was, by 
special vote, postponed to June 23, when the Presi- 
dent, in his address, declined re-election, having 
filled the office for twenty-eight years, and after 




^^f^-y-'i^^is-^ -^^^-^-^/-l/^'/C-^^^ti^^ 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 395 

eleven years' previous service as Director and Secre- 
tary. His place was filled by the choice of Richard 
Frothingham, who had been a Director since 1840, 
and for several years a member of the Standing 
Committee. The late President was elected a Direc- 
tor, and was continued upon the Standing Committee. 
On motion of Rev. Dr Samuel K. Lothrop, seconded 
by Hon. Joseph M. Wightman, a Resolution was 
passed, extending to him " the thanks of the Associa- 
tion for his long, faithful, and devoted services as its 
President." 

At the same meeting, the newly elected President, 
Abbott Lawrence, Henry Walker, Charles F. Fair- 
banks, and J. Collins "Warren Avere appointed a 
committee to procure subscriptions for a statue in 
honor of Colonel William Prescott, to be placed, 
under the direction of the Standing Committee, on 
Bunker Hill. Mr. Winthrop had also, in a letter 
written Avhen abroad, suggested that the Association 
should, at some future time, undertake to provide a 
statue of Lafayette. An original portrait of the 
General was purchased lately by Mr. Russell, the 
present Treasurer, while in Paris, in 1875, which 
now adorns the statue room of the Association. 

Enough work has been laid out, as herein indi- 
catedj and as set forth in the published " Proceedings " 
for the last fifteen years, to occuj^y the attention of 
the Association for the future; nor, indeed, will 
its mission as a commemorative society be ended as 
long as this great Republic shall continue to revere 



396 HISTORY OF THE 

the memory of its noble founders, and shall desire 
to hold up conspicuous examples of patriotism and 
illustrious service to the admiration of mankind. 

In no better way can this imperfect history of the 
Association be concluded than by giving- a brief 
account of the important Pendulum experiment 
made at the Monument in 1850, under the direc- 
tion of Professors Eben jS^orton Horsford and 
William C. Bond, then connected with Harvard 
University. 

M. Leon Foucault, a distinguished natural phi- 
losopher, born in Paris in 1819, had found out that 
the diurnal rotation of the earth upon its axis could 
be demonstrated by the swing of a long pendulum, 
and had perfectly succeeded in its illustration. These 
professors desired to test this experiment in the 
newel or well of the Monument. The Massachusetts 
Charitable Mechanic Association joined in the re- 
quest, appointed Mr. Frederic H. Stimpson and Hon. 
Joseph M. Wightman, who were also Directors of 
the Monument Association, a committee, and offered 
to pay all the expenses of the necessary ai'range- 
ments. Upon motion of Mr. Everett, the request 
was granted. The assent of King Solomon's Lodge 
was readily obtained for the temporary removal of 
their marble monument, which stood in the way of 
the trial, to a position in the Monument on the right 
of the entrance. 

As if to signalize the place of the experiment, the 
ball used for the pendulum was one of those Revolu- 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 397 

tionary balls which had been fired from one of the 
British ships of war, — probably the " Lively," — on the 
17th June, 1775. It weighed about thirty-one pounds 
— originally thirty-two, — having lost something by 
abrasion and the rust of time. It was supported in 
a brass meridian, to which was attached an equatorial 
ring, with adjusting screws for bringing the centre 
of gravity directly in line with the pointer below and 
the point of suspension above, and was suspended by 
an annealed wire two hundred and ten feet long, the 
lower end of which was secured to the brass meridian, 
and the upper end to a staple in the roof of the 
chamber at the top of the Monument. 

To prevent currents of air from affecting the motion 
of the pendulum, the grating above was replaced by 
a plank floor; and the wu-e passing through the 
chamber was encased in a square wooden trunk, with 
panes of glass on opposite sides for observing the 
very small arc described by the pendulum wire at this 
height. It Avas also found necessary, in order to pre- 
serve the quiet of the air, to close the ventilating port- 
holes opening into the well along the course of the 
circular stairway, and replace the iron-lattice gate at 
the bottom with plate-glass doors. 

A smooth wooden floor was laid at the bottom of 
the shaft, from the centre of which, directly beneath 
the point of suspension, three broad circles were 
described, and painted white. These circles were 
graduated into 360 degrees, which were figured, for 
convenience of observation, counting from the right. 
For more careful observation, a flat wooden ring was 



398 HISTORY OF THE 

erected about four feet above the floor, with a brass 
sight on the farther side, and a corresponding sight 
at the extremity of an arm on the nearer side, which 
was so arranged as to revolve around the axis of the 
plane of oscillation. This ring rested upon marbles, 
and could be adjusted by movable friction wheels 
placed outside the ring upon the inner wall of the 
Monument. With the aid of these compass sights, 
the rotation of the plane of oscillation became ap- 
parent in less time than if the point at the bottom of 
the ball were observed, for the reason that the view 
was confined .to a fine definite line, and also that the 
distance of the nearer sight from the centre was five 
feet, while the radius of the graduated arc on the 
floor was rather less than three and a half feet. The 
sight through which the observation was made 
was moved by a small geared wheel npon a 
graduated arc of brass placed in the door- way; and 
such was the nicety of the adjustment that the prog- 
ress of the plane of oscillation could be noticed in a 
single vibration of the pendulum. 

The mode of startiug the pendulum was that 
adopted by Foucault. The ball being drawn to the 
margin of the circle, and secured by a thread, was 
permitted to come entirely to rest. When this was 
attained, which required but a minute or two, the 
thread was burned and the pendulum launched. 

When the j^endulum was put in motion in the 
manner above described, the progress of the plane 
of oscillation soon became quite apparent, moving 
steadily from the right toward the left of the observer. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 399 

As the progress made was about one degree in six 
minutes, in half an hour it would traverse over about 
five degrees of the graduated circle. The pendulum 
would continue to vibrate an hour or more from the 
time of starting. An entire revolution of the plane 
of oscillation, in this latitude, would be accomplished, 
if the motion were uniform and could be kept up, in 
about thirty-five and a half hours, according to the 
calculation of Professor Horsford. 

The whole experiment was eminently successful, 
and highly interesting to the great numbers who 
witnessed it. Professor Horsford devised and super- 
intended all these arrangements, and made frequent 
and careful observations. In doing this, he noticed a 
new phenomenon, of which he has, by request, fur- 
nished the following interesting account for this 
publication : — 

Soon after the pendulum was in place, it was observed from 
time to time that the spindle below the bob, instead of resting 
directly over the centre of the floor of the well, to which 
point it was first adjusted, was found on one side or the other 
of this point. Upon observing more closely, it was found that 
the spindle was to the north of the centre soon after mid-day, 
and to the east of the centre at evening. While engaged just 
after noon, on one very bright warm day, in accurately mark- 
ing the position of the spindle, it happened, that a sudden 
shower of rain struck the south side of the Monument, and at 
the same instant the spindle moved southward through a 
space of about a quarter of an inch. It was obvious at a 
glance that the shower striking the more heated side of the 
Monument had cooled it, and of course contracted it. The 
effect of the previous heat had been to expand the more ex- 
posed side of the Monument, and so carry the point of sus- 



400 HISTORY OF THE 

pension of the pendulum near the summit to the north. The 
bob and spindle took position vertically below. The effect 
of the shower and evaporation following was to cool the 
southerly side of the Monument and shorten it, and so carry 
the point of suspension of the pendulum toward the south. 

This movement of the shaft may be thus illustrated : If 
two iron rods of equal length, uniting at the top, and but a 
short distance apart at the bottom, be arranged to represent 
the north and south sides of the Monument, and a pendulum 
be suspended from the point of union, and the rod represent- 
ing the north side be incased in a wrapper of non-conducting 
material throughout its length, to protect it from the sun, 
while that representing the south side is exposed to the sun, 
the latter will be heated and expand, and become longer 
while the former will remain unchanged, and so the top be 
carried over to the north, and with it the pendulum, so that 
the spindle at the bottom will sweep in the same direction. 
One can readily imagine the expansion of the southerly rod so 
great as to cause the northerly rod to incline to the north, in 
which case the pendulum would no longer swing between the 
two rods, but outside and to the north of them. 

The changing positions of the spindle found a read}^ ex- 
planation in the uneq.ual heating of the sides of the Monu- 
ment. The morning sun expanded the easterly side of the 
Monument, increasing its length as compared with the westerly 
side, and so tipping the shaft a little to the west. The bob 
and spindle took position immediately below the point of sus- 
pension. At noon, under the influence of the mid-day sun, 
the Monument inclined to the north, and the spindle moved 
in accordance with it ; and at evening the movement was to 
the east. Daring the night, in the absence of the sun, the 
more heated sides of the Monument cooled to the temperature 
of the surrounding air, and assumed what may be considered 
their normal relations. 

A pencil attached to tlie bob Avas made for some days to 
trace, on paper fixed to the floor, the rotation of the summit 
of the Monument. The orbits were what may perhaps be 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. 401 

called irregularly elliptical, as might have been expected from 
the conditions. The base of the shaft was square, and pre- 
senting no face to the meridian. It was heated during sun- 
shine on each of three sides more than on the fourth. The 
greatest diameter of the orbit as described by the pencil but 
little exceeded half an inch. The mark made during the 
night was almost a straight line, somewhat like the chord to 
three-fourths of a circle. 

It was a good thong-ht of Professor Horsford to 
borrow from his friend and neighbor, Dr. Morrill 
Wyman, that hostile missile of the olden time and 
employ it in aid of scientific experiments. No better 
place on which to demonstrate that the earth moves 
than Bnnker Hill, whose Monument is one of its land- 
marks from which a great movement in the political 
and moral world may be dated. What would not 
Galileo have given, and what would not the world 
have gained, if he could only have pursued his philo- 
sophical investigations unmolested under the freedom 
and inspiration which that hallowed name assures! 

As the solid Monument, obedient to a natural law, 
sways to the sun in his daily course, and resumes its 
perfect position in the cool of the night, so may the 
national heart, whether in prosperous or adverse 
times, beat in unison with the Monument in every 
vicissitude, and may future historians have the happi- 
ness to record abundant instances of the continual 
progress and honorable example of the Republic in 
the succeeding centuries. 



51 




To 

ALL THOSE 
GOOD 

CITIZENS 
OF 

Charlestown 

AND 

Boston, 

WHO, TRULY 
APPRECIAT- 
ING THE 

guixhcr fjill 
Mojuxmtnt 



AS THE FIT 

MEMORIAL OF 

THE COUNTRY 

AND OF THE 

WORLD TO THE 

GLORIOUS 

RESULTS OF 

THE 

AMERICAN 
REVOLUTION ; 

AS AN 

ORNAMENT 

TO BOTH CITIES 

AND AN 

INSTRUCTOR OF 

RACH SUCCEEDING 

GENERATION, — 

HAVE ASKED 

THAT THIS 

|S>)jadous gibinuc 

TO IT MAY 
BE CONbTRUCTEP, 

AND IN THE 

HOPE THAT THEY 

WILL PERSEVERE 

UNTIL IT BE 

ACCOMPLISHED, 

SO THAT 

THIS IMPERISHABLE 

OBELISK MAY MORE 

GENERALLY IMPRESS 

THE POPULAR MIND, 

AND MORE FULLY 

MEET THE 

EXPECTATIONS OF 

ITS ni'M.DERS, 

THIS PUBLICATION, 

IN AID THET^EOF, 

IS GRATEFULLY 

DEDICATED 

nv THI-: rT!ESIDFNT, 
ON HI^IIAl.F OF 

The Bunker Hill 
' Monument Association. 



Tills Dciliciition was inserted in tlie publication upon the Avenue, and in 
the " rrocecdings " of subsequent years. 



MEMORABILIA. 




ssriyp BY JVHff ssRTAm-pmL.-. 



IN MEMORIAM. 



^ I ^HE first great loss brought home to the Association 
-*- occurred in tlie decease of Nathaniel Popk Russell, 
its faithful Treasurer from the beginning. At the Annual 
Meeting held June 18, 1849, on motion of Mr. Everett, it 
was 

Resolved, That the President of tlie Association be requested to 
address a letter to the. family of the late Hon. N. P. Russell, Treasurer 
of the Association from its first organization, expressive of the grateful 
sense entertained by its officers and members of the value of his long 
and important services, and of their high respect for his memory. 

A special meeting of the Directors was called, on October 
27, 1852, to express the sentiments of the Board on the 
bereavement which had been experienced in the death of 
Daniel Webster. The President presented for their con- 
sideration tlie following Resolutions : — 

Resolved, That the Directors of the Bunker Hill Monument Asso- 
ciation do most sincerely sympathize in the general grief which has 
overwhelmed the country in the national loss which it has so unex- 
pectedly been called upon to bear, by which sad event one of the 
founders and progenitors of the great work of the Association has 
been removed froifi earth ; the memory of whose undying eloquence, 
uttered before a vast multitude on Bunker Hill, at the laying of the 
corner-stone of the Monument, and also at its completion, will be for 
ever identified with that imperishable memorial to the cause of Repub- 
lican Liberty. 

Resolved, That the eminent public services of the illustrious deceased, 
rendered throughout his whole life, constantly, in full measure, and with 
thi most cordial readiness, at the sacrifice of his personal interest, fur- 
nish the best example of that high aim which he so eloquently set forth 



406 MEMORABILIA. 

to his countrymen ; for his whole life was to his country, his whole 
country, and nothing but his country. 

Resolved, That, in respect to the memory of Daniel Webster, the 
Monument be dressed with appropriate badges of mourning, for the 
space of thirty days ; and that it be recommended to the officers and 
members of the Association to wear the usual badge of mourning upon 
the left arm, for the same term. 

These Resolutions were uuanLmously adopted ; and the 
President, Secretary, and Treasurer, with Hon. Stephen 
Fairbanks, Hon. Nathan Hale, Hon. Albert Fearing, Joseph 
Tilden, Henry Forster, and Henry A. Peirce, were appohited 
a delegation to attend the funeral of the deceased at Marsh- 
field. For the first and only time, the Monument was dressed 
in mourning ; and the individual members of the Association, 
generally, joined in a like manifestation of sorrow. 

At the Annual Meeting in 1853, the President referred, 
in his Address, to the decease of Amos Lawrence, Robekt 
G. Shaw, Thomas B. Wales, David Francis, and Benja- 
min Thompson, in the following terms : — 

Amos Lawkence, another of the founders and of the early friends 
of the Association, has since been removed from this stage of being. He 
will always deserve to be remembered as one who has appropriated 
more of his means and of his time to the forwarding of the great work 
of the Association than perhaps any other individual. At a period 
when its affairs seemed desperate, when the erection of the Monument 
was suspended for the want of means and none seemed to be in pros- 
pect, he did not turn his back upon the enterprise, nor slacken in his 
efforts. He was determined that the Monument should be finished ; 
and he had provided the means which would have insured it, had it 
not been erected in his lifetime. * 

He made the Monument his adopted child ; and his name should 
always be associated with it as one of the foremost of its builders. 

During the last year, four of tlie Directors chosen at the last An- 
nual Meeting have also died: Robert G. Shaw, Thomas B. "Wales, 
David Francis, and Benjamin Thompson. 

Mr. Shaw, for a great number of years, was an efficient and active 
member of the Board. He was a constant attendant at the meetings, 
and has been a liberal contributor to the Association. He was on many 



MEMORABILIA. 407 

important committees, and rendered valuable service. He was on the 
committee for opening the new street, — an object in which he ex- 
pressed the warmest interest, and which he did much to promote. 

Mr. Wales, who has lately deceased, was also a liberal contributor, 
and for many years a Director. He kept up his interest in the pros- 
perity of the Association to the last, and was always ready to render 
his aid and assistance. 

Mr. Francis has been a Director for many years, and an efficient 
co-operator in the objects of the Association. 

Mr. Thompson, who, although one of the earliest members of the 
Association, was recently elected one of the Board of Directors, was 
prevented by his public duties in Congress from attending any of 
its meetings. 

It is, however, a gratifying reflection, that, while all who designed 
this undertaking, and who from time to time contributed their means 
and tlieir time and efforts to its accomplishment, must await the final 
doom of mortality, this great work, which so much engaged their inter- 
est, will endure, and be a perpetual memorial of the patriotism of those 
who reared it, as well as of the glorious event it will ever commemorate. 

At the Annual Meeting in 1854, on motion of Hon. Rich- 
ard Frothingham, the following was adopted : — 

Whereas, since the last meeting of this Association, one of the 
earliest and most liberal contributors to the objects for which it was 
established has deceased. 

Resolved, That in the death of Judah Touro, of New Orleans, the 
Banker Hill Monument Association has lost an early, liberal, and 
devoted friend, whose memory will ever be held in high esteem, and 
whose noble contributions to charitable and patriotic purposes will 
never be forgotten. 

At the Annual Meeting in 1856, Mr. Everett, being un- 
able to attend, sent the following letter and Resolution, 
upon the death of Dr. John Collins Warren. On motion 
of Isaac Harris, the Resolution was unanimously adopted. 

Boston, 16th June, 1856. 

Dear Sir, — I much regret that it is not in my power to attend 

the meeting of the Bunker Hill Monument Association this morning. 

I was particularly desirous of being present, that I might join in giving 

utterance to that deep regret which we all feel at the loss, since our 



408 MEMORABILIA. 

last Annual Meeting, of one of the earliest, most persevering, and most 
efficient members and Directors of the Association. I allude, of course, 
sir, to the late Dr. John C. Warren ; of whom I think it is but justice 
to say, that to hira, more than to any other individual, the Bunker Hill 
Monument owes its existence. He was one of the very first that 
engaged in the undertaking. Occupied, as he was, with the duties of a 
most laborious profession, he gave his time and his unremitted attention 
to the work. No detail of business, however humble, was beneath him, 
and he shunned no responsibility. Many difficulties were overcome 
by his patience and judicious management. He never allowed the 
obstacles which retarded the progress of the work — and they were 
numerous and great — to discourage him; and he devoted his time 
and thoughts to it, when it stood one-fourth part only built, burdened 
with a debt which there were no visible means to pay, — a premature 
-ruin i-ather than a structure hopefidly advancing to its completion, — ■ 
as cheerfully as he did in the freshness of its early popularity. With- 
out underrating the zeal of others or the value of their services, it 
seemed to me, on more than one occasion, that, but for the firmness 
and resolution of Dr. Warren, it would have remained for the next 
generation to carry on and finish the Monument. 

Undoubtedly, he had an interest in the structure which no one else 
could feel, in consequence of his relationship with the patriot martyr 
of the day, his uncle. General Joseph Warren. If this circum.-tance 
augmented the zeal with which he exerted himself for the promotion of 
the great work, no one will think it a matter of wonder or blame. If 
it increased his interest in the Monument, it imposed no little restraint 
upon him. I can truly say, that, intimately as I was associated with 
him, in the early period of the undertaking, as a member of the E)xecutive 
Committee, I never saw in him the slightest attempt to make tlie Monu- 
ment in any way minister to family feeling. I am sure that he was 
the member of the Committee by whom the name of General Warren 
was least frequently mentioned. He ever appeared to me, in this 
respect, to be influenced by the most scrupulous delicacy. He took a 
patriotic interest in the work, and was evidently desirous that it should 
be a memorial of all the honored names which history has associated 
with the 17th of June; and, as far as possible, of the brave men who 
fell in the ranks, and whose devotion to the country was not the less 
meritorious because they are not ])rominently recorded in its annals. 

Dr. Warren had investigated the localities of Bunker Hill, and the 
vestiges of the battle, with greater care and pains than any other per- 



MEMORABILIA. 409 

son ; and it was owing to his attention that some of them have been 
identified, and marked by permanent memorials. 

I feel, sir, a melancholy satisfaction in paying this last tribute to 
the memory of one with whom, for a period of nearly fifty years, in 
the most confidential relations, — those of " beloved physician " and 
constant friend, — I have to my great happiness been intimately asso- 
ciated. I regret only that the state of my health has not permitted me 
to be present at the meeting, and do better justice to the subject and 
to my feelings. 

I remain, dear sir, with much regard, sincerely yours, 

Edward Everett. 
Hon. G. Washington Warken. 

Resolved, That the members of the Bunker Hill Monument Associ- 
ation deeply lament the loss sustained by them, since their last Annual 
Meeting, in the decease of one of the earliest members and Directors of 
the Association, the late Dr. Warren ; that they recognize him as one 
of the most efficient, judicious, and liberal promoters and benefactors of 
the undertaking ; and they desire to place on their records the most 
emphatic attestation to the value of his services, from the commence- 
ment to the completion of the Monument. 

There were also passed at the same meeting the following 
Resolutions : — 

Resolved (on motion of Hon. Richard Frothingham), That the 
Membei's of tliis Association lament the decease of Hon. Abbott 
Lawrence, who was, from the first, a warm friend and liberal con- 
tributor to the enterprise of building the Bunker Hill Monument ; and 
that they will hold in grateful memory the services he has rendered in 
this work. 

Resolved (on motion of Amos A. Lawrence), That this Association 
deeply lament the decease of David Devens, for many years a 
respected and valued member, and one of its Directors. 

The lives and services of these three were also dwelt upon 
at length in the President's address. 

On August 14, 1857, Hon, Franklin Dexter died. He was 
born in CharlestoAvn, Nov. 5, 1793, and was the son of Hon. 
Samuel Dexter, who had been Senator of the United States, 
Secretary of War, and afterwards of the Treasury, under the 
first President Adams, and was the foremost lawyer of his 

52 



410 MEMORABILIA. 

time. Mr. Franklin Dexter succeeded William Tudor as 
Secretar}^, and his name as such is borne on the first diploma. 
He was an eminent lawyer ; and, when Mr. Webster Avas 
Secretary of State, he was appointed United States District 
Attorney for Massachusetts. He was much devoted to art, 
and his opinion as a connoisseur was considered authority. 
When Benjamin Stevens, the popular Serjeant-at-Arms of 
the Legislature, was directed to cause the exterior of the 
State House to be painted, he left the determination of the 
color to Mr. Dexter, as the first man of taste ; who took great 
pains in the selection, mixing the paints himself, and con- 
trasting different shades by moonlight, until he got the 
exact hue which satisfied him. In his later years, he warmly 
espoused the liberal side in the embittered controversy of 
that time, and he published several very valuable articles 
on political subjects and upon matters of art. At the Annual 
Meeting in 1858, the President referred to his valuable ser- 
vices to the Association ; and, on motion of Hon. Roberta C. 
Winthrop, it was 

Resolved, That the Bunker Hill Monument Association cordially 
respond to the just tribute which has been pai<1, in the report of the 
President, to the character and accomplishments of our late Associate 
and friend, the Hon. Franklin Dexter ; and that we will ever cherish 
an affectionate respect for his memory. 

At the same meeting, on motion of Hon. Joseph M. 
Wightman, President of the Massachusetts Charitable Me- 
chanic Association, it was 

Hesoh-ed, That the Bunker Hill Monument Association regret to 
record the dee-ease, since the last Annual INIeeting, of George W. 
Otis, Esq., a faithful and useful member of the Board of Directors 
for many years. 

At the Annual Meeting in 1860, the President announced 
the decease, during the preceding year, of Col. Benjamik 
LoKiNG and James Clark, Esq., two of the Directors, who 
were universally esteemed for their patriotism, integrity, 
and general philanthropy. 



MEMORABILIA. 411 

Since 1860, the Proceedings of the Annual Meeting.s have 
been published in a durable form, and may be referred to for 
extended notices of the officers of the Association who have 
died since that year. Resolutions were offered, in 1861, by 
Hon F. W. Lincoln, Jr., to the memory of Ex-President Jo- 
seph T; Buckingham ; in 1862, by Hon. Stephen Fairbanks, 
for Hon. Nathan Appleton and Hon. William Appleton, 
and by Dr. J. Mason Warren, for Dr. Luther V. Bell ; in 
1863, by William W. Wheildon, Esq., seconded by Hon. 
Richard Frothingham, for Hon. Nathan Hale ; in 1864, 
by Mr. Frothingham, for Asa Swallow, Esq. 

In 1865, an elegant and appropriate tribute was paid to 
the memory of Edward Everett, by Mr. Winthrop ; and a 
Resolution was offered by Dr. Henry Lyon, on the decease 
of James K. Frothingham. In 1866, Resolutions were 
offered by Mr. Winthrop, for Hon. Charles Wells ; by Mr. 
Lincoln, for George Darracott and for Henry N. Hooper, ; 
by Uriel Crocker, Esq., for John P. Thorndike ; and by 
Dr. J. Mason Warren, for Dr. Abraham R. Thompson ; in 

1867, by Mr. Lincoln, for Hon. Stephen Fairbanks; and 
by John H. Thorndike, Esq., for G. Howl and Shaw: in 

1868, by Dr. Winslow Lewis, for Dr. John Homans ; by 
Benjamin T. Reed, for James W. Paige ; by Mr. Wheildon, 
for Eben Barker ; by Hon. Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, for Dr. 
J. Mason Warren. 

Resolutions were reported by a committee, consisting of 
Col. Thomas Aspinwall, Mr. Lincoln, and Col. James W. 
Sever, to the memory of Ex-President Hon. Levi Lincoln. 

In 1869, Resolutions were offered by Mr. Lincoln, on the 
death of Isaac Harris: in 1870, by Mr. Henry K. Froth- 
ingham, on Lynde a. Huntington: in 1871, by Mr. Lin- 
coln, on Hon. David Sears and Col. James W. Sever ; by 
Mr. Winthrop, on George Ticknor ; and by Dr. Lyon, on 
Peter Hubbell : in 1872, by Mr. Lincoln, on Thomas B. 
Curtis :, in 1873, by Mr. Lincoln, on Nathaniel Hammond 
and Col. Isaac H. Harris ; by Mr. Wheildon, a tribute to 
Mrs. Harrison Gray Otis ; and by Hon. Charles Devens, 



412 



MEMORABILIA. 



Jr., upon Gen. Geokge G. Meade, an Honorary Member : 
in 1874, by Mr. Wheildon, on Chakles Whitlock Mooee ; 
by Mr. Lincoln, on Frederick H. Stimpson ; by Mr. Rus- 
sell, the Treasurer, on Benjamin Tyler Reed ; and by Col. 
Henry Walker, on Rear-Admiral John A. Winslow, an 
Honorary Member. 

In 1875, Hon. Thomas C. Amory presented Resolutions on 
the decease of Hon. Nathaniel B. Shurtleff ; Hon. Otis 
Norcross, upon Charles Leighton ; Hon. F. W. Lincoln, 
upon Albert Fearing ; and Dr. C. D. Homans, upon 
James Lawrence. 

In 1876, Mr. Warren paid a tribute to the memory of Dr. 
Winslow Lewis, who had the merited honor of wearing, in 
the grand procession and celebration of the First Centennial 
Anniversary, the very same Masonic apron which Lafayette 
had worn at the first celebration, fifty years before. 

Since the last meeting. Col. Thomas Aspinwall, the 
veteran hero, the scholar, and the gentleman of the old 
school, has died ; whose name will be affectionately remem- 
bered, and associated with the celebration of 1857, as its 
Grand Marshal. 

Honorable mention was also made at the time, by the 
President, in his addresses, of the important services ren- 
dered by those deceased. All which, witli the Resolutions, 
appears in the printed Proceedings of the Association. 




ROLL OF OFFICERS 



Elected at the Annual Meetings in June, with their 
Terms of Continuous Service. 



N.B. Tiie names of those who died in oflSce are denoted by an asterisk (*) 
placed against the j'ear of their decease-. Those against whose names there 
is — , instead of the date of a year, in the last column, are still in office. 



JOHN BROOKS 1823-25* 

DANIEL WEBSTER 1825-27 

THOMAS H. PERKINS 1827-29 

LEVI LINCOLN 1829-30 

WILLIAM PRESCOTT 1830-31 

ABNER PHELPS 1831-32 

WILLIAM PRESCOTT 1832-36 

JOSEPH T. BUCKINGHAM 1836-47 

G. WASHINGTON WARREN 1847-75 

RICHARD FROTHINGHAM 1875 — 

Ufce-PtESttients, 

THOMAS H. PERKINS 1823-27 

JOSEPH STORY -. . . . 1823-29 

WILLIAM PRESCOTT 1827-29 

AMOS LAWRENCE 1829-30 

JOHN C. WARREN 1829-31 

JOHN C. WARREN 1832-51* 

WILLIAM SULLIVAN 1830-31 



414 MEMORABILIA. 

JOHN D. WILLIAMS 1831-32 

GEORGE ODIORNE • • • l«31-32 

WILLIAM SULLIVAN 1832-35 

PRESIDENT MASSACHUSETTS CHARITABLE 

MECHANIC ASSOCIATION, ex officio . . . 1833 — 

SAMUEL T. ARMSTRONG 1833-39 

CHARLES WELLS ; . . . 1833-66* 

JOSEPH JENKINS 1835-40 

LEVERETT SALTONSTALL 1839-45* 

GEORGE C. SHATTUCK 1840-54* 

ABBOTT LAWRENCE 1845-56* 

JOSEPH T. BUCKINGHAM 1855-61* 

EDWARD EVERETT 1856-65* 

ROBERT C. WINTHROP 1856— 

STEPHEN FAIRBANKS 1861-66* 

THOMAS ASPINWALL 1865-76* 

CHARLES LEIGHTON 1866-75* 

ISAAC HARRIS 1867-69* 

URIEL CROCKER 1869 — 

CHARLES DEVENS, Jr 1875 — 

Secretaries. 

WILLIAM TUDOR 1823-24 

FRANKLIN DEXTER 1824^25 

EDWARD EVERETT 1825-29 

liENRY A. S. DEARBORN 1829-30 

EDWARD G. PRESCOTT 1830-31 

WILLIAM MARSTON 1831-32 

EDWARD G. PRESCOTT 1832-36 

FRANCIS O. WATTS 1836-39 

G. WASHINGTON WARREN 1839-47 

JOSEPH H. BUCKINGHAM 1847-60 

SAMUEL F. McCLEARY 1860-71 

ANDREW C. FEARING, Jk 1871 — 



MEMORABILIA. 



415 



treasurers. 

NATHANIEL P. RUSSELL 1823-4S* 

SAMUEL H. RUSSELL 1840 — 

Stantd'ncf (ITommittee, 1876-77. 

RICHARD FROTHINGHAM, President. 

G. WASHINGTON WARREN. 

WILLIAM W. WHEILDON. 

FREDERIC W. LINCOLN. 

ROBERT C. WINTHROP. 

SAMUEL H. RUSSELL. 

FRANKLIN DARRACOTT. 

JOHN H. THORNDIKE. 

HENRY LYON. 

URIEL CROCKER. 

CHARLES DEVENS, Jr. 

GEORGE B. NEAL. 

OSMYN BREWSTER. 

EDWARD LAWRENCE. 

HENRY WALKER. 

ALBERT C. FEARING, Jr., Secretary ex officio. 

3Jice»Presitients, ex officio. 

AS PRESIBENTS OF THE MASSACHUSETTS CHARITABLE MECHANIC ASSOCIATION. 



Joseph T. Buckingham 1833-35 

Stephen Fairbanks . 1835-38 

George Darracott . 1838-40 

Joseph Lewis .... 1840-43 

James Clark .... 1843-45 

George G. Smith . . 1845-48 

Henry N. Hooper . . 1848-51 

Jonas Chickering . . 1851-54 
Joseph F. Paul 



Frederic W. Lincoln 1854-57 

Joseph M. Wightman 1857-60 

Pelham Bonney . . 1860-61* 

Frederic H. Stimpson 1861-64 

Joseph T. Bailey . . 1864-67 

Jonas Fitch .... 1867-70 

Albert J. Wright . 1870-73 

Nathaniel Adams . . 1873-76 
. . . 1876 — 




tilctorg* 

■/tpejb^erms of service. 



The names of the Directors, Honorary Members, and Associate Mem- 
bers are, for convenience, arranged in the alphabetical order of their Christian 
names ; the surnames being arranged mider their initial letters. 



A. 
Daniel Wei.ls Alvord 
Jonathan Adams . 
James S. Amory . 
Nathan Appleton 
Nathan Appleton 
Samuel T. Armstrong 
Thomas G. Appleton 
Thomas Aspinwall 
William Appleton 
William Appleton 
William Austin . 
William Austin . 

B. 
Amos Binney . . 
Amos Binney . . 
Daniel C. Baker . 
Ebenezer Breed . 
Eben Barker . . 
Eben F. Barker . 
Edward T. Barker 
Edward Brooks . 
Edward Brooks . 
George Blake . . 
George W. Brimmer 
John B. Brown 
Joseph P. Bradlee 



1853-57 

1831-32 

1840 — 

1825-29 

1831-62* 

1830-31 

1862 — 

1857-65 

1840-62* 

1862 — 

1829-30 

1831-32 



1829-30 

1840-47* 

1854-58 

1829-51* 

1838-68* 

1868-75 

1875 — 

1828-29 

1840 — 

1823-29 

1827-29 

1832-40 

1833-36 



JosiAH Bradlee . . 


. 1832-55* 


Joseph T. Buckingham 1832-36 


Joseph T. Buckingham 1847-55 


Loammi Baldwin . . 


. 1824-29 


Loammi Baldwin . . 


. 1830-32 


Luther V. Bell . . 


. 1856-62* 


Nathaniel J. Bradle 


E 1875 — 


Nathan Bridge . . 


. 1829-30 


OsMYN Brewster . . 


. 1860 — 


Peter C. Brooks . . 


. 1824-25 


T. Quincy Browne . 


. 1874 — 


William Blake . . 


. 1840-62 


William B. Breed . 


. 1831-32 


C. 




Charles R. Codman 


. 1873 — 


Henry H. Child . . 


. 1823-24 


James Clark . . . 


. 1836-60* 


John Cotton . . . 


. 1833-38 


Samuel Chandler . 


. 1843-49 


Samuel C. Cobb . . 


. 1869 — 


Thomas B. Curtis . 


. 1832-72* 


Uriel Crocker . . 


. 1833-69 


D. 




Charles Devens, Jr. 


. 1868-75 ■ 


David Devens ... 


. 1829-55* 


Ezra Dyer .... 


. 1833-40 



MEMORABILIA. 



417 



Franklin Darracott 


1866 — 


Franklin Dexter 


1823-24 


Franklin Dexter 


1849-57* 


F. Gordon Dexter . 


1858 — 


George Darracott . 


1829-32 


Georgj^ Darracott . 


1833-65* 


H. A. S. Dearborn . 


1823-40 


Isaac P. Davis . . 


1823-28 


Isaac P. Davis . . 


1839-40 


James Dana . . . 


1870 — 


John B. Davis . . 


1828-29 


John B. Davis . . 


1830-31 



Edward Everett 


. 1823-25 


Edward Everett 


. 1830-56 


Henry H. Edes . . 


. 1875 — 


Samuel A. Eliot . . 


. 1840-41 


Thomas Edmands 


. 1833-40 


AViLLiAM II. Eliot . 


. 1830-32 



Albert Fearing . . . 1840-75* 

Amos Farnsworth . . 1831-32 

Benjamin V. French . 1829-32 

Charles F. Fairbanks . 1867 — 

David Francis . . . 1833-53* 

Hknry K. Frothingham 1885 — 

Hexuy p. Fairbanks . 1849-54* 

Henry Fohster . . . 1840-55 

James K. Frothingham 1830-40 

James K. Frothingham 1841-64* 

Jonathan French . . 1831-32 

John Fourester . . . 1832-40 

Richard Fletcher . . 1840-41 

Richard Frothingham . 1840-75 

Stephen Faihbanks . . 1833-61 

Timothy Fuller . . . 1831-32 

G. 

Benjamin Gleason . . 1829-30 

Benjamin Gorham . . 1823-28 

Charles G. Greene . . 1838-50 

Harhison Gray . . . 1833-40 



Henry Gassett . . 
John C. Gray . . . 
Nathaniel Greene . 
Thomas J. Goodwin 

H. 
Charles Hale . . . 
Charles D. IIomans 
David Henshaw . . 
Ephraim Harrington 
Henry N. Hooper 
Isaac Harris . . 
Isaac H. Hooper . . 
Jacob Hale . . . 
John Harris . . . 
John Harris 
John Homans . 
John T. Heard . . 
Joseph Hurd . . . 
Joseph Hurd . . 
Lynde a. Huntington 
Nathan Hale . . . 
Nathaniel Hammond 
I Peter Hubbell 
Richard Haughton . 
Samuel D. Harris . 

^ J. 

Francis Jackson . . 
William Jackson 
William Jackson 
Joseph Jenkins 



K. 



Seth Knowles . . 

L. 

Abbott Lawrence 
Abbott Lawrence 
Abbott Lawrence 
Abbott Lawrence 
Amos Lawrence . 
Amos Lawrence . 
Amos A. Lawrence 
Benjamin Loring 



1831-32 
1839-40 
1833-49 
1828-35 



1863 — 

1868 — 

1829-30 

1836-40 

1861-65* 

1833-67 

1866-73* 

1831-32 

1830-40 

1846-54* 

1862-68* 

1876 — 

1823-24 

1829-30 

1854-69* 

1830-63* 

1830-73* 

1847-71* 

1810-41 

1823-29 



1833-35 
1829-30 
1831-32 
1833-35 



1823-29 



1829-30 
1832-43 

1844-45 
1875 — 
1825-29 
1831-32 
1840 — 
1839-58* 



53 



418 



MEMORABILIA. 



Charles Leightox . . 1833-66 

Charles Lymax . . . 1853 — 

Edward Lawrence . . 1858 — 

Frederick W. Lixcolx 1856 — 

Henry Lee 1839-10 

Henry Lyon .... 1866 — 

Isaac Liverjiore . . . 1840 — 

James Lawrence . . . 1856-75* 

James Lee, Jr. . . . 1854 — 

John J. Low .... 1840-il 

Levi Lincoln .... 1823-24 

Samuel Lawrence . . 1823-32 

Samuel K. Lothrop . . 1864 — 

Theodore Lyman, Jr. . 1823-29 

William E. Lawrence 1855 — 

Winslow Lewis . . . 1862-76* 

M. 

Charles Merriam . . 1866 — 

Charles W. Moore . . 1854-73* 

Daniel Messenger . . 1833-40 

David L. Morrill . . 1824-27 

Ephraim Marsh . . . 1829-30 

Ezra Mudge .... 1829-30 

James McAllister . . 1834—36 

Samuel F. McCleary . 1871 — 

Theophilus R. Marvin 1833 — 

Thomas Motley . . . 1839-40 

AViLLiAM P. Mason . . 1828-29 

William P. Mason . . 1830-32 

X. 

George B. Xeal . . . 1859 — 

Otis Xorcross .... 1867 — 

O. 

Francis J. Oliver . . 182.3-29 

Francis J. Oliver . . 1830-40 

George W. Otis . . . 1833-57* 



Henry A. Peirce . . 1849-74 

James W. Paige . . . 1841-68* 

Jesse Putnam .... 1823-28 

Jonathan Phillips . . 1826-29 

Joseph Peabody . . . 1827-28 

Stephen C. Phillips . 1832-57* 

Thomas H. Perkins . . 1834-39 

Thomas H. Perkins . . 18.56 — 

William Perkins . . . 1872 — 

William Prescott . . 1824-27 

William Prescott . . 1831-32 

R. 

Benjamin T. Reed . . 1840-74* 

Edward H. Robbins . 1828-29 

John H. Reed .... 1874 — 

John Raynor .... 1833-10 



Asa Swallow .... 1840-64* 

David Sears .... 1824-28 

Frederick H. Stimpson 1865-73* 
Gardiner Howl and Shaw 18.53-67* 

George C. Shattuck . 1835-40 

Hiram Shurtleff . . 1375 — 

Joseph E. Sprague . . 1828-29 

James W. Sever . . . 1866-71* 

John K. Simpson . . . 1833-38 

John Skinner .... 1829-49* 

L. Miles Stand ish . . 1873 — 

Leveret Saltonstall . 1823-28 

Leveret Saltonstall . 1829-39 

Xathaniel Silsbee . . 1823-24 

Xathaniel B. Shurtleff 1857-74* 

Robert G. Shaw . . . 1828-53* 

Samuel Swett .... 1823-29 

Timothy T. S,\wyer . 1855 — 

William Sullivan . . 1823-29 

William Sullivan . . 1831-32 

William W. Stone . . 1832-54 



Daniel Putnwm 
Fr.\ncis Peabody 
George Peabody 



182.5-29 I T. 

1729-47 Abram K. Thompson . 1829-30 

1828-29 Abram R. Thompson . 1853-66* 



MEMORABILTA. 



419 



Benjamin Thompson . 1851-53* 

George Ticknor . . . 1823-26 

Henry K. Thatcher . 1875 — 

Israel Thorndike . . 1832-33 

Job Turner 1836-54 

Joseph Tilden .... 1832-53* 

John H. Thorndike . . 1854 — 

John P. Thorndike . . 1833-65* 

Nathan Tufts .... 1828-30 

l^ATHAN Tufts .... 1832-36* 

William Tudor . . . 1825-28 

Joel Thayer .... 1831-32 

Joseph B. Thomas . . 1871 — 

V. 

Shadrack Varney . . 1810-49 

W. 

Benjamin Whipple . . 1829-30 

Charles Wells . . . 1829-33 

Daniel Webster . . . 1823-25 

Daniel Weld .... 1831-32 

G. Washington Warren 1836-39 



G. Washington Warren 
Henry Walker . . . 
J. Huntington Wolcott 
John C. Warren . . . 
John Wells .... 
John D. Williams . . 
John D. Williams . . 
Jonathan Mason Warren 
Jonathan Whitney . . 
J. Collins Warren . . 
Joseph M. Wightman . 
Mark Weare .... 
Oliver Wolcott . . . 
Robert C. Winthrop . 
Samuel H. Walley . . 
Simon Wilkinson . . 
Thomas B. Wales . . 
Timothy Walker . . . 
William W. Wheildon 
William Wyman . . . 



Y. 



Ammi B. Young 



1875 — 

1874 — 

1841 — 

1828-29 

1824-28 

1829-30 

1832-48 

1849-67* 

1833-39 

1867 — 

1860 — 

1833-34 

1824-27 

185;j-56 

1840 — 

1833-40 

1840-53* 

1829-30 

1845 — 

1840-43 



1848-57 



ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS. 



1825. 

Orator Hon. Daniel Webster. 

^ S Rev. Joseph Thaxter. 

Chaplains i ^ „^ _ ^ 

( Rev. James Walker, D.D. 

Chief Marshal of Pi-ocessioii .... Geii. Theodore Lyman, Jr. 

,, ,, ,, Grounds Col. Samuel Jaques. 

1843. 

Orator Hon. Daniel Webster. 

Chaplain Rev. George E. Ellis, D.D. 

Chief Marshal of Procession .... Gen. Samuel Chandler. 

,, ,, ,, Grounds Mr. James W. Paige. 



420 MEMORABILIA. 

1850. 

Orator Hon. Edward Everett. 

Chaplain Rev. George E. Ellis, D.D. 

Chief Marshal Col. Isaac H. Wright. 

1857. 
_ 5 Hon. Edward Everett. 

( Hon. Robert C. Winthrop. 

Chaplain Rev. James Walker, D.D. 

Grand Marshal of Procession .... Col. Thomas Aspinwall. 
Chief ,, ,, Grounds James Lawrence, Esq. 

1861. 

Orator Gov. John A. Andrew. 

Chaplain Rev. James B. Miles. 

Chief Marshal Hon. James Dana. 

1875. 

Orator Hon. Charles Devens, Jr. 

^ (Rev. RuFUS Ellis, D.D. 

Chaplains ■< 

( Rev. Phillips Brooks. 

Chief Marshal of Association .... Col. Hknry Walker. 

,, ,, ,, City of Boston . . . Gen. Francis A. Osborn. 



CHAPLAINS AT ANNUAL MEETINGS. 

In 1862 it was voted that in future the Annual Meetings be opened by prayer 
and that the President appoint the Chaplain. 

1863 Rev. Samuel K. Lothrop, D.D. 

1864 Rev. George E. Ellis, D.D. 

1865 Rev. George W. Blagden, D.D. 

1866 Rev. James B. Miles. 

1867 Rev. Chandler Bobbins, D.D. 

1868 Rev. Rufus Ellis. 

1870 Rev. Charles E. Grinnell. 

1871 Rev. Phillips Brooks. 

1872 Rev. Rufus Ellis, D.D. 

1873 Rev. John F. W. Ware. 

1874 Prof. William Everett. 

1875 Rev. Samuel K. Lothrop, D.D. 

1876 Rev. Thomas R. Lambert, D.D. 



lE)0n0rarp jWembevs^ 




A. 

James Alden. 
*JoHN Adams. 
*JoHN QuiNCY Adams. 

B. 

*BENJAMI]Sr BUSSEY. 
*ICHABOD BaRTLETT. 

*Peter C. Brooks. 
*SiMOK Bolivar. 
*William Bainbridge. 

C. 

*Charles Carroll, of Carroll- 
ton. 
*Dewitt Clinton. 
George W. Curtis. 
*Henry Clay. 
*JoHN Carter. 

D. 

Charles H. Davis. 
*David Daggett. 
*Henry Dearborn. 
*Joseph Desha. 

E. 
*William Eustis. 

F. 
*David G. Farragut. 
Hamilton Fish. 



G. 

*A. K. Go VAX. 
*Gardiner Greene. 
*George Gibbs. 
*JoHN Gaillard. 
*RoBERT Gilmer. 
*Samuel Gore. 
Ulysses S. Grant. 
*William Gray. 

H. 
*JoHN Hoffman. 
*Eobert Y. Hayne. 

J. 
*Leonard Jar vis. 
*Thomas Jefferson. 

K. 

*James Kent. 

*JOHN T. KiRKLAND. 
JUDSON KiLPATRICK. 

L. 

*Lafayette. 
*Charles Lowell. 
*JoHN Lowell. 
Oscar Lafayette. 

M. 
*C. F. Mercer. 
*David Lawrence Morrill. 
*George McDuffie. 



422 



MEMORABILIA. 



*George G. Meade. 

Irvin McDowell. 
*James Madison. 
*James Monroe. 
*JoHN Marshall. 
*JoNATHAN Mason. 
*Marcus Morton. 
*Perez Morton. 

*JosEPH TV. Newcomb. 

*RlCHARD E. NeWCOMB. 

0. 
*Harrison G. Otis. 



*Benjamin Pickman. 
*Benjamin Pierce. 
*Bernard Peyton. 
*Daniel Putnam. 

David D. Porter. 
*Elijah Paine. 
*George Peabody. 
*IsAAC Parker. 
*James Pleasants. 
*William Phillips. 



*Benjamin Silliman. 

Charles Steedman. 

Carl Schurz. 
*JosEPH Story. 

Philip H. Sheridan. 
*Samuel Southard. 

*WlLLIAM C. SoMERVILLE. 

William T. Sherman. 

T. 
*George Tucker. 

*ISRAEL ThORNDIKE. 

*Thomas Todd. 

V. 

*C. P. Yanness. 
*WiLLiAM Vance. 

W. 

*Arnold Welles. 
*JoHN Wilson. 

*JOHN A. WiNSLOAV. 

*Oliyer Wolcott. 
*Thomas L. Winthrop. 




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Associate IHemiiers, 

Elected by the Association since 1860. 

N. B. — The names of the original Members, and of all who were elected by the 
Association before 1860, will be found on pages 44-47. 



*Edwin F. Adams. 

Francis B. Austin. 

Frederic Amory. 

Henry C. Adams. 

H. Edward Abbott. 

James Adams, Jr. 

James W. Austin. 

Joseph B. Ames. 

Robert Amory. 

Thomas C. Amory. 
*Thomas Aspinwall. 

William Appleton, Jr. 

William Aspinwall. 

B. 

Andrew Jackson Bailey. 
Buckminster Brown. 
Charles V. Bemis. 
Charles R. Byram. 
Eben F. Barker. 
Edward T. Barker. 
Ezekiel G. Byam. 
Francis Brooks. 
George H. Burr. 
George P. Baldwin. 
Henry N. Blake. 
Henry W. Bragg. 
John P. Barnard. 
*Leonard C. Bowles. 
Nathaniel J. Bradlee. 
Nelson Bartlett. 



Peter Baker. 

Peter C. Brooks, Jr. 

Phillips Brooks. 

S. Stoddard Blanchard. 

Thomas P. Beal. 

T. Quincy Browne. 

William E. Bicknell. 

William G. Brooks. 

C. 
Abram E. Cutter. 
Alvin Colburn. 
Arthur B. Coburn. 
Charles A. Clajjp. 
Charles F. Choate. 
Charles R. Codman. 
Charles T. Carruth. 
Ethan N. Coburn. 
George A. Coolidge. 
George B. Chase. 
George G. Crocker. 
George H. Campbell. 
Henry C. Cutter. 
Linus M. Child. 
Nahura Chapin. 
Samuel C. Cobb. 
Seth E. Clapp. 
Uriel H. Crocker. 

D. 

Arthur Lithgow Devens. 
Charles Devens, Jr. 



424 



MEMORABILIA. 



Charles Deane. 
Charles H. Drew. 
Edward F. Devens. 
Fi-anklin Darracott. 
F. A. Downing. 
F. Marland Darracott. 
Oliver Ditson. 
Richard H. Dana, Jr. 
Stephen G. Deblois. 
Thomas Dana, 2d. 
Thomas Dwight, Jr. 
AYilliam J. Dale. 

E. 

Edward Everett. 
George D. Edraands. 
Henry Herbert Edes. 
Isaac P. T. Edmands. 
Percival L. Everett. 
Rufus Ellis. 

Thomas R. B. Edmands. 
William Everett. 



Alfred D. Foster. 
Andrew C. Fearing, Jr. 
Charles E. Fuller. 
Charles F. Fairbanks. 
Edward J. Forster. 
George Darracott Fenno. 
Charles C. French. 
John K. Fuller. 
Jonas H. French. 
Lyman P. French. 
Rufus S. Frost. 
Thomas G. Frothinghara. 
William II. Finney. 

G. 
Charles E. Grinnell. 
Charles O. Gage. 
Charles S. Gill. 
George F. Greene. 
John Goldthwait. 



Joseph F. Green. 
Nehemiah Gibson. 
Richard C. Greenleaf. 
Samuel A. Green. 
Samuel C. Goodwin. 

H. 

Albert H. Hoyt. 

Charles Hale. 
*Charles Chauncey Haven. 

Charles D. Homans. 

Clement Hugh Hill. 

Franklin A. Hall. 

Francis B. Hayes. 

Franklin Hopkins. 

G. H. W. Herrick. 

George Hyde. 

Hamilton A. Hill. 

H. Hollis Hunnewell 

Henry C. Hutchins. 

Horace G. Hutchins. 
*Isaac H. Hooper. 
*Israel Hunt. 

James F. Hunnewell. 

Joseph Healy. 

John W. Hunt. 

Josiah Little Hale. 

Liverus Hull. 

Moses Hunt. 

Philip Hichborn. 

Samuel H. Hurd. 

Samuel P. Hinckley. 

Thomas B. Harris. 
* William Harris. 
*William Sturgis Hooper. 

Walter Hastings. 

J. 

Daniel Johnson. 
E. Worthen James. 
Francis Jaques. 
Henry Percy Jaques. 
Henry F. Jenks. 
Thomas H. B. James. 



MEMORABILIA. 



425 



K. 

Charles K. Kirby. 
George A. Kettell. 
George P. King. 
James W. Kidney. 
John Kent. 
L. Gushing Kimball. 
William H. Kent. 

L. 

Abbott Lawrence. 
Amory A. Lawrence. 
Charles R. Lawrence. 
Edward Lawrence, Jr. 
Frederic W. Lincoln, Jr. 
George E. Littlefield. 
George W. Little. 
Henry Lyon. 
Henry W. Lyon. 
James Lawrence. 
Jacob Littlefield. 
Samuel P. Langmaid. 
Solomon Lincoln. 
Thomas R. Lambert. 
Theodore Lyman. 
William Lawrence. 

M. 

Anthony S. Morss. 

Albert Mason. 

Charles Merriam. 

Edward S. Moseley. 
*Frederic W. Moores. 

Godfrey Morse. 
* James B. Miles. 

Nathan Mathews. 

Nathaniel B. Mansfield. 

Robert M. Mason. 

W. T. R. Marvin. 

William Makepeace. 

WilHam B. Morris. 

N. 
Grenville H. Norcross. 
Otis Norcross. 



Otis Norcross, Jr. 
Sereno D. Nickerson. 

O. 

Francis A. Osborn. 



Asa P. Potter. 
Charles E. Powers. 
Edwards A. Park. 
George S. Poole. 
George W. Palmer. 
Peter Parker. 
* Robert S. Perkins. 
William Perkins. 
William E. Perkins. 

R. 

Augustus Richardson. 

Caleb Rand. 

Edward B. Robins. 

Henry M. Rogers. 
*Isaac F. Redfield. 

John Codman Ropes. 

John Reed. 

John H. Reed. 
*Luther C. Redfield. 

William L. Richardson. 



Andrew Sawtell. 

Arthur J. C. Sowdon. 

Benjamin F. Stacey. 

Charles E. Stevens. 

Charles A. B. Shepard. 
*David Sears, Jr. 

D. Waldo Salisbury. 

Frank E. Sweetser. 

Francis H. Swan. 

Hiram S. Shurtleff. 

Isaac H. Sweetser. 

James E. Stone. 
* James W. Sever. 

John Stowell. 

John H. Studley. 



54 



426 



MEMORABILIA. 



L. Miles Standish. 
Lemuel Shaw. 
Phinehas J. Stone. 
Phinehas J. Stone, Jr. 
Solomon B. Stebbins. 
Thomas L. Swann. 
Timothy T. Sawyer, Jr. 
Warren Sawyer. 
William B. Stearns. 
William W. Swan. 

. T. 

Abraham R. Thompson. 
Edwin Thompson. 
Ezra J. Trull. 
Edward S. Tobey. 
Francis Thompson. 
Frederick Tudor. 
George F. Thorndike. 
Henry Elmer Townsend. 
Henry Knox Thatcher. 
Joseph B. Thomas. 
John L. Thorndike. 
Washington B. Trull. 
William W. Tucker. 

W. 

Albert J. Wright. 
Alexander S. Wheeler. 
Arthur W. Willard. 



Charles Whittier. 

Charles Woodbury. 

Charles Herbert Williams. 
*Daniel H. Whitney. 

David B. Weston. 

Edward Warren. . 

Erving AVinslow. 

Francis C. Whiston. 

Freeman A. Walker. 

Henry Walker. 

Henry Austin Whitney. 

Henry D. Williams. 

Henry F. Woods. 

Henry L. J. Warren. 

Henry M. Wightman. 

Henry W. Williams. 

Henshaw B. Walley. 

J. Collins Warren. 

J. Otis Wetherbee. 

John S. Whiting. 

John Wilson. 

John B. Wilson. 

Joseph W. Warren. 

Lucius H. Warren. 
*Luther F. Whitney. 

Marshall P. Wilder. 

Roger Wolcott. 

Sampson Warren. 

Samuel S. Willson. 

WiUiam F. Weld. 



SUBSCIIIBEE.S 



TO 



THE STATUE OF GENEHAL WAHREN. 

Obtained ekom 1850 to 1857. 



ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS. 

Thomas H. Perkins. 

FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS. 

John Welles. 
Samuel Appleton. 

TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS. 

Amos Lawrence. 
Abbott Lawrence. 

ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS. 

G. Washington Warren. 

Peter Hubbell. 

James Lee, Jr. 

James Hunnewell & Son. 

J. Wiley Edmands. 

Jacob Foss. 

William Carleton. 

Luther V. Bell. 

James Dana. 

James W. Paige & Co. 

John W. Trull. 

Josiah Bradlee & Co. 

Charles H. Mills & Co. 

Lawrence, Stone, & Co. 

Read, Chadwick, & Dexter. 

James M. Beebe & Co. 

Nathan Appleton. 

FIFTY DOLLARS. 

Stephen Fairbanks. 
Johnson, Sewall, & Co. 



P. J. Stone. 
William H. Prescott. 
F. Skinner & Co. 

TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS. 

Robert C. Winthrop. 
AVilliam R. Lawrence. 
Isaac Kendall. 
Walter Plastings. 
Henry A. Peirce. 
Artemas Tirrell. 
Lynde A. Huntington. 
Andrew T. Hall. 
Edward Lawrence. 
James Adams. 
Timothy T. Sawyer. 
Richard Frothingham, Jr. 
George B. Neal. 
Josiah F. Guild. 
John Hurd. 
George Howe. 
Edward Everett. 
Nathan Matthews. 
Thomas B. Curtis. 
Sampson & Tappan. 
Isaac Liver more. 
Samuel Hooper. 
Albert Fearing. 
Edward S. Rand. 
Benjamin Loring. 
George W. Lyman. 
George O. Hovey. 
F. W. Lincoln, Jr. 
John P. Rice. 
William W. Wheildon. 
Calvin C. Samson. 



The children of Dr. John C. Warren contributed the handsome marble pedestal 
on which the Statue stands, at the cost of 



''';-^' will 



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